Toyota increases Prius production.
Toyota says it plans to increase production of its hybrid-electric Prius this year, aiming for a 70% jump in sales.
It's off to a good start, according to the New York Times. Sales of the Prius jumped 87% in February, when it offered incentives on the vehicle for the first time. Toyota once had long waiting lists but sales slipped recently as tax breaks on the vehicle were eliminated. Toyota sold just over 100,000 Prius cars in 2006.
Toyota’s next major model upgrade to the Prius will be a plug-in version, I am told. But they haven't said when that will be.
Some companies are offering plug-in conversions: Hybrid Plus in Colorado, Hymotion in Canada, and EDrive in California. Hybrids Plus and Hymotion have won contracts from the State of New York wherein they are currently converting 400 of the state’s fleet of Priuses and Escapes to plug-in hybrids, while EDrive is converting dozens of the fleet-operated Priuses in California to plug-in hybrid. (Thanks to Charles Whalen for this information)
Click here for more care sales news in the New York Times.
- David Adams
Toyota has publicly stated that its next major model upgrade to the Prius will be a plug-in hybrid, but they have never publicly stated when exactly that will be. A year ago, our sources inside Toyota were privately telling us that it might be the 2008 model year, but now they have pushed back the timetable and are telling us to expect probably around the 2010 model year. My colleague Marc Geller of Plug In America (www.pluginamerica.com) in a recent post (http://plugsandcars.blogspot.com/2007/02/prius-drops-to-48mpg-how-will-2008.html) on his excellent “Plugs and Cars” blog, states that the 2008 model year Prius is “rumored to get upward of 80 mpg” but questions how that could possibly be achieved without making it a plug-in hybrid. I haven’t asked Marc where he heard that rumor (maybe I should), but Plug In America has a lot more and higher level sources inside Toyota than I do. Thanks for covering this, David!
Posted by: Charles Whalen | March 02, 2007 at 11:07 AM
The URL listed above for Hybrids Plus in Colorado is incorrect. The correct URL is: www.hybrids-plus.com
Posted by: Charles Whalen | March 02, 2007 at 11:24 AM