--- description: Find out why Toyota was selected for TIME‘s list of the most influential companies of 2026. title: TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2026: Toyota image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef40e599c426824a/69d7dcc047096d446bacaf3f/time100-companies-2026-toyota.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 30, 2026 # Toyota Ahead on hybrids by [Aimee Rawlins](/author/aimee-rawlins/) ## Aimee Rawlins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  The 2026 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) Nightshade. The 2026 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) Nightshade.Courtesy Toyota The Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid on the market when [Toyota](https://time.com/collection/time100-companies-2024/6978868/toyota/ "undefined"), the world’s top-selling carmaker, debuted it in 1997\. In the decades since, the company has doubled down on hybrids, a strategy that seemed questionable when competitors were investing in all-electric vehicles. But as EV growth slows, charging infrastructure lags, and more people turn to hybrids, Toyota’s bet looks positively prescient. Through August 2025, [nearly half](https://www.spglobal.com/automotive-insights/en/blogs/2025/11/what-is-fueling-consumer-interest-in-hybrid-vehicles "undefined") of all new hybrid registrations in the U.S. were for vehicles made by Toyota. Its 2026 RAV4—one of the most popular cars in the world—is sold only as a hybrid. "Our customers told us again and again: 'We want choices,'" says Mark Templin, chief operating officer of Toyota North America. Toyota also recently announced a nearly $1 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing, which Templin says means it can build more EV parts stateside, as well as entire vehicles like the Corolla hybrid sedan. And despite its hybrid dominance, Toyota still has EVs squarely in its sights: The 2027 Highlander will be fully electric and the company plans to have six battery electric models for sale in the U.S. by year's end. Toyota: 2026 TIME100 Most Influential Companies ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-most-influential-companies/2026/toyota/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-most-influential-companies/2026/toyota/"},"headline":"Toyota","datePublished":"2026-04-30T13:34:18.625Z","dateModified":"2026-05-12T07:03:06.487Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/time100-most-influential-companies/2026/toyota/","keywords":["TIME100 Companies","franchise","list"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef40e599c426824a/69d7dcc047096d446bacaf3f/time100-companies-2026-toyota.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aimee Rawlins","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/aimee-rawlins/"}],"creator":"Aimee Rawlins","articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltef40e599c426824a/69d7dcc047096d446bacaf3f/time100-companies-2026-toyota.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-most-influential-companies/2026/toyota/","name":"Toyota"}}]}] ```