Maxed Out? Toyota's U.S, chief says still plenty of demand for its hybrid vehicles Mark Rechtin | automotive news | | Automotive News | 6:00 am, May 8, 2006 LOS ANGELES -- Is the hybrid boom over? Hardly. Toyota Prius sales plunged 27.4 percent in April, to 8,234 units, compared to the same month last year. But the problem was limited manufacturing capacity, not lack of consumer demand, said Jim Press, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. In fact, he said, soaring fuel prices have made Toyota's hybrids hotter than ever. The production start of the Camry Hybrid at the Tsutsumi plant in Japan meant it has had to cut back on building Prius units. "We ended the month with a three-day supply of Prius," Press said in an interview. "Demand has never been higher. We also had a phenomenal month for Highlander Hybrid and RX 400h." The Camry Hybrid went on sale nationwide on May 1. Most regions had received their first shipment by Friday, May 5, said spokesman John Hanson. In the two days in April that the Camry Hybrid was on sale - in California and Oregon - 47 units were sold. As much as Toyota would like to sell more hybrids, Tsutsumi is maxed out. Toyota already is scrambling to increase the capacity there until its Georgetown, Ky., plant starts building the Camry Hybrid in September, Hanson said. At best, Press said Toyota Motor Sales can double its U.S. hybrid sales from last year, when it sold 146,560 units. As for the future, Press said Toyota is short of the engineering resources to accelerate its plans to bring new hybrid models to market. "Expanding hybrid volume requires increasing the number of vehicles that have the hybrid option available," he said. "That's driven by engineering resources, and it's difficult to accelerate that." PRINTED FROM: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...mplate=printart Entire contents ©2006 Crain Communications, Inc.
I think just about everyone predicted a canibalization of Prius production for the HyCam so there's no real surprise there. However, that's not to say that tomorrow's headlines won't read "PRIUS SALES FALL: END OF HYBRID HYPE?"
Meanwhile, there ARE signs "on the ground"---if PriusChat posts are any indicator---that demand may be easing off. * Several members report having recently bought Priuses with a very short wait, or no wait. * We're NOT hearing horror stories by prospective buyers who've been told they'll have to wait 6 months to a year to get one after they order. * MOST people who've recently ordered seem to be saying they expect to wait 6-8 weeks for delivery. Again, these are signs WE get---and we may not be a representative sample of what's going on "out there". But PC DID seem to represent the frantic sales of, and long waits for, the '04s and '05s. Sooner or later demand pressure WILL lessen. Toyota's ramped-up production of last year was bound to make some impact on wait times. And, of course, the Camry Hybrid is potentially a big "wild card". A lot of us are eager to see May CH sales figures. I would guess that at least 50% of CH sales are/were at least potential Prius sales, and they would have been "drawn from" not just April, but the last few months. If this is reality, it may seem odd for diminished Prius demand to occur in the face of another rapid escalation to $3 gas. But we're just going to have to wait to look at the overall hybrid sales picture.
I think there will be more interest in the Camry Hybrid and a moderate decrease in the Prius. The Camry does not meet my needs, the Prius does so it will be interesting to watch and see how sales progress.
Indeed. But then again, the Camry may have everything that someone was looking for in the Prius and more. e.g. - style --> some may prefer the Camry's style - bodystyle --> some may prefer a traditional sedan instead - quality --> even though the Prius is a Toyota, I feel the Camry has a more luxurious feel - HSD --> The TCH will have the latest HSD technology even though its electric motors are still less powerful than the Prius - power --> some may want 200hp like V6 engines had back in the late 90s. - space --> Do note the Camry is much wider than the Prius so 3 will fit more comfortably in the back. I know I did when we had 3 people in the back on a trip down to the States
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ May 9 2006, 09:20 AM) [snapback]251818[/snapback]</div> Camry Hybrid has 105kW motor and Prius has 50kW motor. What is your point? Ken@Japan
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ May 9 2006, 12:14 PM) [snapback]251938[/snapback]</div> The absolute torque value means nothing. You have to consider it"s rpm or gear ratio. Ken@Japan
2007 Camry Hybrid Specification http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt/2007t...mryHybrid_s.pdf "Battery Peak Horsepower Rating 40 horsepower" It looks about 30kW. Ken@Japan
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ May 8 2006, 01:25 PM) [snapback]251624[/snapback]</div> They are still saying 5-6 months in the Northern Illinois area as of about one month ago when I had my oil changed at the Schaumburg Toyota dealership. Same at the Anderson Toyota dealership in Rockford.
