Toyota Prius offers larger in the United States in the fall
U.S. sales of Prius vehicles could eventually rival those of Toyota's high-volume Camry and Corolla cars, La Rocque said at an event outside Detroit.
Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, has dominated the gasoline-electric hybrid market. The company envisions the Prius v competing across several segments against such vehicles as the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Volkswagen Jetta wagon, La Rocque said. The smaller version of the Prius, which will be aimed at young singles, will be priced below the current Prius, which sells for $23,050 at the low end.
Toyota will initially target monthly sales of 2,000 Prius v's in the U.S. La Rocque said the company envisioned the vehicle, which gets an estimated 42 miles per gallon, eventually accounting for 15% to 20% of total Prius U.S. sales.
From there, Toyota will offer a plug-in version of the current Prius model in the first quarter of next year and a smaller version dubbed the Prius c in the first half to make the crucial U.S. market the only one in the world to offer four Prius models.
"The Prius has the highest brand awareness of any hybrid vehicle, making it to hybrids what Kleenex is to tissues and Levi's are to jeans," La Rocque added.
Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, has dominated the gasoline-electric hybrid market since putting its first Prius on the road in Japan in 1997.
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Toyota envisions the Prius v competing across several segments, against such vehicles as the Honda <7267.T> CR-V, Ford
He reaffirmed that Toyota would initially target monthly sales of 2,000 Prius v's in the United States, a number it is also aiming for in Europe. La Rocque said the company envisions the Prius v, which gets an estimated 42 miles per gallon, eventually accounting for 15 to 20 percent of total Prius U.S. sales.
La Rocque said if Toyota wants to continue expanding U.S. sales of Prius vehicles, it will eventually need to add production capacity in the United States
