Madison-Based Toyota Dealer Aims for Guinness World Record with Longest Hybrid Vehicle Parade This Weekend

MADISON, Wis., July 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart Toyota of Madison is striving to make history this Sunday, July 24, by organizing the longest hybrid vehicle parade ever, in conjunction with the Green Drive Expo in downtown Madison.

The hybrid rally has been dubbed "Hybrids On Parade," or HOP, by event organizers at Smart Toyota.  For months, the dealership has been reaching out to hybrid owners throughout the Midwest, inviting them to Madison for a shot at Guinness World Records lore. The goal is to attract around 500 hybrid vehicles and organize them in a parade route of approximately two miles long.  A rally of this magnitude would easily surpass the previous world record of 140 vehicles organized by Toyota Belgium in August, 2010, in Tervuren, Belgium.

"We applaud the team at Smart Toyota and their attempt to make 'green' history," said Jaycie Dane, assistant general manager in the Chicago Region of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "We know there are a lot of proud hybrid owners in the greater Madison area so it would be great to see them out in force and earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records."

Anyone wanting more information about HOP, including registration information, can visit http://thehop.eventbrite.com or call Smart Toyota at (608) 316-7777. Vehicle entries will be limited to the first 500 registrants.

Smart Motors was founded in 1908 by O.D. Smart and is one of the nation's oldest automotive dealerships. Located at 5901 Odana Road, in Madison, Smart Toyota is Wisconsin's top volume Toyota dealer and the state's top-selling hybrid vehicle dealership.

About Toyota

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion.  Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.76 million vehicles in 2010. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.