Japan Quake: Disaster Affects U.S. Car Sales, Factories - TIME It may soon become much harder to get your hands on the wheel of a Prius. The earthquake and tsunami that have caused over 10,000 deaths, swept away whole towns and plunged Japan into a nuclear crisis will have an impact, albeit a much less dire one, on U.S. car buyers as well: the best-selling hybrid car in America could soon be out of stock Read more: Japan Quake: Disaster Affects U.S. Car Sales, Factories - TIME