This Toyota hybrid clocked over 1.6 million km until a hurricane stopped its progress

Mark Miller runs an asphalt paving business in Florida, USA. For someone who makes a living by building roads, Miller knows the saying “Where there is a road, there is a Toyota.”

His 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is the first car he bought new, and it has been is daily workhorse since.

Miller has clocked over 1.6 million km (1 million miles) in it, believing that his trusty Toyota hybrid could continue racking up even more kilometres until Hurricane Ian hit his home in September 2022, destroying it when flood waters came gushing into his neighbourhood.

“That vehicle was so dependable,” said Miller. “I think I took it for granted at times. After 16 years, only a catastrophic flood could kill it.”

Despite being nearly 20 years old, Miller still sends his Highlander back to an authorised Toyota dealer for maintenance - Germain Toyota of Naples, the dealer that sold him the car in 2006.

As a reward for his loyalty and his meticulous vehicle maintenance habit that made him an unofficial ambassador for reliable Toyota hybrids, the dealer decided to give Miller a new 2023 Highlander Hybrid Bronze Edition for free.

Richard Germain, the owner of Germain Toyota of Naples told Miller, “The fact that you rode your Toyota for over 16 years, put over 1 million miles on it and allowed us to be a part of keeping that vehicle going for you, in my mind, probably makes you the most loyal customer that we’ve ever had.”

“We wanted to thank you for that loyalty. So, on behalf of Toyota and the Toyota family, we would like to reward you for your loyalty by replacing that 2006…” he trailed, before showing Miller his new car.