Photo : Frederic GAUDIN (ACO)

 

On June 23 of last year, hybrid technology took the first four finishing positions in the 90th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with two Audi R18 e-tron quattros (winners Loïc Duval-Tom Kristensen-Allan McNish and third place with Marc Gené-Oliver Jarvis-Lucas di Grassi) and two Toyota TS030 Hybrid (second place Sébastien Buemi-Anthony Davidson-Stéphane Sarrazin and fourth place with Alexander Wurz-Nicolas Lapierre-Kazuki Nakajima). This result perfectly sums up the two constructors' positions both on track and on the road. Although the German marque was the first to claim victory in the 24 Hours with a hybrid prototype (2012, with Marcel Fässler-André Lotterer-Benoît Tréluyer), Toyota remains the global number 1 when it comes to road-going hybrid sales.

Along with electric vehicles, hybrids represent cutting edge technology in the evolving environmental impact of the automobile. According to Toyota's estimates (which currently has 25 hybrid models on offer and plans to unveil 15 more in the next two years), its vehicles have so far reduced emissions by 41 million tons of CO2 and saved 15 billion litres of petrol used in similar models.

In standing with their pioneering efforts in automobile technology, the 24 Hours of Le Mans gave a high degree of importance to hybrid systems, taken to another level this year. The general consensus among engineers is that the 2014 LM P1 cars are the most complex ever designed in order to respond to a simple yet difficult equation: maintain the same performances as 2013, not only with the hybrid technology, but with a limited amount of fuel. At Le Mans, Audi and Toyota will be joined by Porsche. All three have invested in the hybrid system and have good reasons to succeed. Audi would like to maintain its stanglehold on La Sarthe and Porsche would love nothing more than to win on their grand return. For Toyota, a victory at Le Mans would be the crowning achievement for an investment made in hybrid technology, begun in 1997 with the Prius, the first mainline production car to be produced as a hybrid. 

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translated by Rainier Ehrhardt / ACO

The 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held from June 14 - 15, 2014 (ticket information here).

Photo : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, DIMANCHE, JUNE 23, 2013, RACE. The only thing missing for Toyota to complete the hard work and investment made for almost 20 years in hybrid technology in road-going cars is a victory at Le Mans.