Toyota looking for 40% increase in hybrid sales this year

Last year, Toyota's hybrid sales increased by thirty-three percent and this year the company is aiming for forty percent, with total worldwide sales of 430,000 vehicles. Toyota is also planning to increase production of the Prius by forty percent to 280,000 annually. It will be interesting to watch how the US hybrid market evolves this year if gas prices remain relatively low in the $2/gallon range.
[Source: Reuters]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 2:03PM (1/25/2007)
I believe that the events in the middle east are helping people remember the embargo's of the late 1970s. I also believe that Al "Green" Gore's movie may be having an effect. It's not just oil prices that's pushing Hybrid sales. It's fear!
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motorman 12:38PM (1/27/2007)
this guy was saving money on gasoline BUT---- My friend Kerry was proud to be on the cutting edge of hybrid technology when he bought a Toyota Prius a few years ago.
He's less proud to be on the cutting edge of hybrid-technology repairs. He just paid a bundle to replace the car's transaxle, part of the vehicle's new-wave continuously variable transmission, which failed just after the warranty expired.
"The dealer initially told me it would be $3,000 just for the labor, and $5,000 for the part. That's 40% of the original base price of the car!"
Kerry said, "I pushed back and they waived -- miraculously -- the part cost, maybe because we had recently bought a second Prius from them. … But the labor charge remained. Ouch."
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