Toyota Prius best-sold vehicle in California in 2012

Toyota’s Prius became the best-sold vehicle this year in California, followed by Honda’s Civic.

Toyota, which is the biggest seller of gasoline-electric vehicles, managed to sell 60,688 of the new Prius hybrids in 2012, nearly one out of every five subcompacts, the California New Cars Dealers Association reports. It bested the Honda Civic, at 57,124. Prius' ascent shows how hybrids, once considered exotic because of their ability to run on electricity alone, are becoming mainstream.

Toyota held a 21.1% market share in the state, followed by Honda at 12.5% and Ford and General Motors, each with a bit more than 11%, based on a new-vehicle registrations. Kia had the biggest increase in market share, up 53.3%.

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