Toyota is setting an aggressive sales goal for the third generatoin Prius due to begin production in April. According to Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager for Toyota Motor Sales, they hope to sell 100,000 Prius in 2009, with 180,000 sales in 2010.
In other words, they want to get back on track for where they were with the Prius in 2007. They were on pace to match that in 2008, which indicated they were selling as many Prius as they could make. But in the end, they weren't able to keep up that pace when the general auto sales decline occured caught up to them in the fourth quarter.
Other issues they may face is added competition from Ford and Honda. The release of the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid may pull some customers away, but they are more likely to affect Camry Hybrid sales. Some buyers may be excited by the federal tax credit still being available to Ford Hybrid buyers.
The real competition will come from Honda with the new Insight. Although the new Prius, which the EPA rated at 50/49 mpg is a lot higher than the Insight rating, the Insight is being priced at thousands left. Since the federal tax credit has run out for both Toyota and Honda buyers, that means the Insight has the advantage when it comes to straight up costs.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Toyota Sets Aggressive Sales Goals for Prius
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