Bring it on Toyota!! I'm looking forward to the Camry Hybrid being made here in a couple of years. Not that I want a Camry but I can see a HyCam blowing the other manufaturers away.
If that's true and they sell every Prius they can make, Prius will become the best selling Toyota passing the Camry and Corolla. Exciting year to come.
So that's from Toyota Japan? That's the only indication we have so far of when the next gen Prius is slated to be launched.
This is very interesting news. Toyota seems to be beting heavily on the new generation Prius to implement such a big capacity increase. (I assume the dedicated Lexus model will not sell in such big numbers because it will be expensive[Lexus]). I am not sure that the current generation Prius sales could take up a 60% increase (not here in the EU anyway).
They must be anticipating a rush when the new Prius comes out. I can't blame them. It also means you'll get great deals on existing models that might still be in the showrooms when the new Prius comes out. They have to move the old stock out of the way somehow. People who would not normally be able to afford a Prius will then be able to get their hands on a Gen II.
Not quite - that 450,000 is a global number, not just U.S. According to the article, globally 900K Camry's and 1.4 million Corollas were produced in 2007! EU likes their diesels, but here in the states, it's rare for a dealer to keep a Prius on the lot for more than a week or two (it's still in the top ten of all vehicles for least amount of time spent on the lot). They still had wiggle room there on the next model - it's coming out "as early as" next year. But they need to redesign it eventually, car designs these days don't stay static for more than 5 years very often.
And what's even more eye-opening is that 440k of that 900k Camrys sold were from the US. Ditto the Corolla, ~ 400,000 of them are sold in the US.
So from around 200.000 current Gen II Prius number to 60 % increase! to 450.000 annual global sale of the Gen III Prii? Then the Prius brand will sell more than GM's few division combined alltogether : Pontiac, how many a year? Buick how many a year? then the perennial declining: Cadillac ? Hummer how many? Then the Oldsmobile ? Oh this one doesn't count..Olds not making any.. Well, it seems that Toyota is aiming to build a separate brand under the "Prius" banner and goal of a Million units sold..per year sooner than later, _fearsome_ the mighty Toyota..The machine that keeps shaking the world!
Look at the Chevy guys reaction to the news 450.000 Prius 09 production. Toyota to increase Prius production 60% next year - GM Inside News Forum
Some Prius are going to fleet (i.e. taxi) although I don't think the taxis here are considered fleet (IIRC, the driver's own the car here not the company). Again, I hope Toyota doesn't sell too many to fleet. I'd rather leave the rental car business to the domestics.
