Toyota Hybrid Reviews

The History of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid

When the Toyota Highlander was first released to the market it was just a standard SUV, not a Toyota hybrid vehicle. However, it was later changed to incorporate hybrid technology and became the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. This happened at around the same time that there was a marketing push away from SUVs and towards crossovers. As a result, the new Toyota Hybrid Highlander was marketed primarily as a crossover hybrid.

Before Toyota Highlander Hybrid

The Highlander was originally intended to appeal to the market of buyers interested in an SUV. It did not originally incorporate Toyota hybrid technology. It came in five-seat and seven-seat models with three different trims (Base, Sport and Limited). It was marketed as an SUV that was perfect for families and other drivers needing a lot of space.

Introducing the Toyota Hybrid Highlander

In 2004, Toyota revealed that the company was going to make the Highlander a Toyota hybrid vehicle. The Toyota Hybrid Highlander was released in 2005 as a 2006 model. In non-American markets the Toyota Hybrid Highlander was known as the Kluger Hybrid.

Marketing the Highlander as a Toyota Hybrid Crossover

At around the same time that the Toyota Hybrid Highlander was released into the market, there was a big change happening in the marketing of SUVs. They were being newly marketed as crossovers. Crossovers have SUV style features but aren’t specifically designed for off road activity. The new Toyota hybrid Highlander was heavily marketed as a crossover vehicle to appeal to the demands of the market at the time of its release.