The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has approved three 2007 Toyota vehicles for the same credit amounts as the 2006 versions of these vehicles. The models are the 2007 Toyota Prius, Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. said Friday in a news release.

In 2005, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and BMW formed the Global Hybrid Cooperation to jointly develop a hybrid powertrain system. The objective was a flexible hybrid system for use in each of the three manufacturers’ vehicles. Each company is tailoring the basic system to their own needs, while benefiting from shared components to reduce costs. Initial application of this “Two-Mode Hybrid” system include rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicles.