The Birmingham Post reports, "It took seven years for Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, to sell 500,000 hybrids in the US, but has taken just two years to sell the next 500,000." Toyota has announced the sale of its one millionth hybrid car in the United States. 

Though that's a significant milestone, the Birmingham Post adds, "Toyota's US sales overall have been battered by the industry recession, tumbling 39.8 per cent from a year earlier in February," and "US sales of Toyota's Prius hybrid were down 33.6 per cent on year in February." 

Toyota is reportedly working on something to stay on top of the hybrid heap: a competitor to Honda's Insight Hybrid, which is priced below Toyota's Prius and due to be released in the U.S. in April. Reuters reports, "Toyota Motor Corp plans to develop a new hybrid car that will sell for less than 2 million yen ($20,510) to rival a popular hybrid car launched by Honda Motor Co the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday." 

MarketWatch says, "Earlier this week, Honda said orders for its recently launched Insight hybrid are more than triple the budget-priced vehicle's monthly sales target." However, those figures are based on Japanese orders; it is unclear if the cheaper Prius will be making its way stateside any time soon.

While Toyota defends its hybrid sales, it's also making sure it stays involved in decidedly less green ventures: auto racing. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest automaker, plans to keep racing on the NASCAR and Formula One circuits, even as demand for cars plummets worldwide. The company will participate in the two racing series despite being financially restricted by severe business conditions." Many automakers, including Honda, have severely cut their participation in motor sports to save cash in the midst of the economic crisis.

Check out our Best Hybrid Car Rankings, then take a look at our best Toyota deals and best Honda deals.