Some additional information from an MSNBC article, re: the 100K increase in Prii being sent to the US in 2005 (that 10132003 already reported in this forum). Selected text: [hr:cf0e5ba3dd] [font=Courier New:cf0e5ba3dd]With the increased production, Prius will become one of Toyota's top selling cars in the United States next year, behind the Camry and Corolla. Toyota sold 413,000 Camry sedans last year. Toyota, the world's No. 2 carmaker, has said it would raise output capacity of Prius by half to 15,000 units a month in the first part of next year because of the strong demand. "Over one-half of total worldwide Prius production will be targeted for the U.S. market," Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager of Toyota's U.S. operations, said in a statement.[/font:cf0e5ba3dd] [hr:cf0e5ba3dd] Click here to view the entire article.
hmm 3rd??? i predicted that could have been 2nd this year if the supply would have been available... i got my oil changed today and my salesman says the waiting list is "down" to 6-7 months... Toyota of Olympia has the highest allocation of Priuses in the state. he says that doesnt include the 250 fleet vehicles for the state. this order was reduced from 650 because of expected lack of supply. i am very happy and more than a little proud of the fact that Washington State has taken such a proactive stance in helping to reduce air polution, government spending and oil consumption.
I know what you mean, Dave -- it is amazing how many NextGen Prii I'm seeing around Washington. I now have two people parking '04 Prii on my block. When mine arrives, and if/when my partner gets hers, it's going to be rather thick with them!
and lets not forget the Priuses slightly larger hybrid cousin of which there are several in Western WA http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=716
At first, this news sounds great until you think about just how many sedans Toyota produces.... Let's see: there's the Avalon, the Camry, the Corolla, the Prius, and the Echo. That's five. The Avalon seems to be a bust; I've seen very few of them on the road and while it might be a great car, it's really only a slightly larger Camry with a few additonal perks. The Echo is being phased out by the Scion Xa. Echo and Prius share the same platform with radically different bodies and drivetrains. So, it's not as dramatic as it seems for the Prius to be the third best seller. What impresses me more is how fast it happened.
