Toyota to Increase Prius Production
Published: Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A has announced an increase in production of its second-generation Prius vehicle in response to heavy demand for the vehicle. Initially Toyota planned to build 36,000 of the gas-electric hybrid sedan. Now the carmaker says it will manufacture 47,000 of the vehicles for 2004.
"With record-shattering sales in both October and November, and no sign of demand letting up, it became clear we had underestimated our early sales projections," states Don Esmond Sr., VP and general manager, in a Dec. 11 article at CleanEdge.com. "If 47,000 units is still too low, another request for additional production from our [plant in] Japan may be necessary."
This generation of Prius emits 30 percent fewer emissions than the model it replaced. It also features new technology for the gas-electric power train that translates into acceleration capabilities comparable to Toyota's non-hybrid Camry.