2004 Toyota concept was the first-ever hybrid supercar, and it had a pretty jaw-dropping range

In 2004 Toyota released the Alessandro Volt – the world’s first hybrid supercar concept and it came with a seriously impressive range.

By the early 2000s, Toyota was no stranger to a hybrid vehicle, having released the Prius – the world’s first mass-produced hybrid in 1997.

But in 2003, the marque wanted to ‘promote a new approach to designing an eco-friendly car of the future’ – and so, the Toyota Alessandro Volt was born.

The supercar looked unlike anything Toyota had ever produced before, and it had some incredibly interesting specs, too.

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The 2004 Toyota Alessandro Volt was a ground-breaking hybrid

These days, more and more car makers are boosting their EV and hybrid offerings – such as BMW, which recently confirmed the first of its Neue Klasse EVs, and McLaren with its stunning $2.6m W1 supercar.

But back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were far fewer brands working in that space, with Toyota and Honda being notable exceptions.

And in a bid to show that hybrid didn’t need to mean boring, in 2004 Toyota enlisted the help of Italdesign to create the world’s first hybrid supercar.

The Alessandro Volta, which got its name from the Italian physicist who invented the battery, was worlds away from the Prius.

The Toyota Alessandro Volt featured a carbon fiber chassis with sleek lines and scissor doors.

Inside, the hybrid had a somewhat unique three-seat layout and a steering wheel that could be slid across to any of the seats – meaning it could be a left-hand drive, right-hand drive or, center drive, depending on your preference. 

The hybrid supercar had an impressive range and top speed

The Toyota Alessandro Volt had a four-wheel drive hybrid powertrain made up of the Lexus RX 400h 3.3 liter V8 engine alongside two electric motors – one for each axle.

This combination could pump out up to 402 horsepower – impressive figures for 2004.

And being a supercar, the hybrid was also fast – it could hit 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in just 4.03 seconds and had a top speed of 250km/h (155mph). 

The Alessandro Volt also boasted an impressive range of around 700km (435 miles) – -pretty remarkable, right?

Unfortunately, the concept vehicle never made it to the production stage – but it still got itself a spot in automotive history.

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