New Toyota Prius Hybrid Gets Nearly 10,000 Orders in U.S.

DETROIT September 24, 2003;Joseph White writing for the WSJ reported that Toyota Motor Corp.'s U.S. sales arm says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for its redesigned Toyota Prius hybrid gas-electric car, which goes on sale Oct. 17.

In a statement, Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said the demand is stronger than expected and the U.S. sales operation may ask for additional production from the Japanese factory that builds the Prius. The statement said Toyota's current plan is to build 36,000 Prius cars in 2004.

The auto maker's U.S. dealers sold 20,119 Priuses in 2002, out of a total of 1.75 million vehicles.

Toyota said its U.S. dealers have received more than 3,000 "pre-orders" from consumers for the new Prius, which is larger than the previous-generation car and starts at $19,995. Public and private fleets have generated another 4,000 advance orders, with an additional 1,200 orders coming from TRAC, Toyota's rental-car operation and more than 1,200 orders from a "Prius Pioneers" early- buyer Internet program