Toyota Prius Could Become Company's Best-Seller
By Bill Visnic June 21, 2011
Poised to expand its Prius brand fourfold in the U.S. over the next year, Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. said today that the widening lineup -- along with shifting consumer preferences -- could enable the Prius nameplate to evolve as the company’s best-selling model line in the U.S., surpassing longstanding, high-volume staples such as the Corolla and Camry. By the end of next year, the Prius lineup, which currently is comprised of the single compact hatchback (above), will include a higher-mileage plug-in variant, the new Prius V wagon (launching this fall) and a smaller Prius C aimed at younger buyers and urban markets.
The expansion of the current single-model Prius into an entire range of Prius models means, “We could see Prius eventually leading Toyota sales in the U.S.,” said Ed Larocque, Toyota’s national marketing manager for advanced technology vehicles. Larocque was speaking at a media event to introduce the Prius V (for “versatile”), a larger, more utility-oriented variant of the Prius scheduled to be in dealer showrooms in October. The Prius V has 58 percent more cargo room than the standard Prius and more cargo room than the majority of compact crossovers, which Toyota believes will be a target audience for the first of the expanded Prius model range. The Prius V “will compete in multiple segments,” Larocque said.
With an Environmental Protection Agency rating of 44 miles per gallon in the city and 40 mpg on the highway, the Prius V (below) will be vastly more economical than conventional compact crossovers, not to mention conventionally-powered vehicles in the numerous other segments to which Toyota believes the Prius V will have crossover appeal. The Prius V will open up Toyota’s opportunities to attract young families, Larocque said, adding that the company believes the new V model will account for perhaps 15-20 percent of all Prius sales in the U.S.
Plug-In Interest
The long-awaited, even more efficient plug-in version (below) of the Prius – to be available early next year – has seen about 23,000 people indicate interest since a Web-based registration portal was opened on Earth Day on April 22. Larocque didn’t offer a projection regarding the number of plug-in Prii Toyota hopes to sell in the U.S., but it is one of the ten new hybrid models Toyota plans to introduce globally over the next 20 months. These new hybrids will supplement the 14 Toyota- and Lexus-branded hybrids currently selling around the world.
Toyota obviously has come to understand the recognition of the Prius nameplate – particularly with U.S. consumers. “The U.S. market is unique,” said Larocque. “It’s the only market where we’ll have four Prius models.”
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