The bar chart compares and contrasts data on the changes in the number of global hybrid vehicles sold in Japan, the US, and other parts of the world over a four-year period from 2006 to 2009.
A closer look at the diagram reveals that total sales more than doubled during this time, although the changes in the US and Japan were quite different.
In the first three years, the US had the highest sales figures, starting at 250,000 global hybrid vehicles sold and peaking at 310,000. However, by the end of the recorded period, the US experienced a steady decline, finishing with sales of 275,000 hybrid vehicles, placing it second behind Japan.
In Japan, the sales figures were initially low, but they increased steadily to 90,000 in 2008 and then jumped to 330,000 in 2009, surpassing the US and becoming the country with the highest number of global hybrid vehicle sales in the world.
During the same period, global hybrid vehicle sales in the rest of the world increased steadily from 50,000 in 2006 to 120,000 in 2009.
