Toyota Prius, JPN. Recently, if you look at the history of Toyota Company since the company was founded in 1937, Toyota is in the midst of its worst recession – but in other side it’s raising the price of the 2010 Toyota Prius by about $400. This seeming contradiction appears to be part of Toyota’s core ‘rotate’ strategy: blow up the volume on marketing, and lead with the Toyota Prius.
The base Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price or MSRP of the new third generation of Toyota Prius will currently range from $22,400 to $27,670, depending on the trim package. The revolution will be effective in late October.
In spite of the recession in its sales and the slightly higher price, Toyota is showing little concern about selling Priuses. Actually, Toyota had only 3 days of provide of Toyota Prius in mid September.
In the fourth quarter of 2009 the supply might get even thinner, as the company plans to pay out $1 billion on marketing. That spend is more than 40 percent of the carmaker would typically spend in the quarter. The campaign will contain funding for more incentives and advertising, while dealer will granting more higher profit margins. Irv Miller, the vice president for Toyota’s US sales unit, at a meeting with its dealers in Las Vegas said, “”We see the economy is starting to strengthen a bit, we’ve stopped playing defense. It’s time to go on the offense.”
A Family of Toyota Prius
Miller also said that Toyota plans to add more variants to Toyota Prius line up. He not describe when the timetable. For about two years, the company has hinted at the idea of a family of Priuses, ranging in size from compact to small sports utility or a wagon. The idea has been openly discussed first time in front of top Toyota brass and dealers in Las Vegas meeting.
One of the participants who attended the meeting said, “The Camry hybrid and Highlander hybrid do OK, but calling it ‘Synergy Drive’ never resonated with customers.” Stewart told to Automotive News that Prius it’s a magic name. When you tell anybody that you drive a Toyota Prius, everybody knows what you mean. Stewart said the Priuses will not be a separate sub-brand like Scion.
Additionally, Nikkei, the Japanese business daily report that Toyota plans to start in on commercial production of plug-in hybrids in 2012, and in the first year Toyota will producing between 20,000 and 30,000 units. Toyota expected to sell its plug-in hybrid for about $48,000. Toyota also enlarges its evaluation of plug-in hybrids by leasing five hundred of its third generation of Prius in Japan, the US, and the whole of Europe – government agencies and corporation.
The Main Reason Why Expanding Toyota Prius
The main reasons why Toyota expanding the Prius brand beyond one vehicle is to dominate global hybrid car market. The Ford Fusion Hybrid was marketed as a better more fuel-efficient alternative to the Toyota Camry Hybrid. And Honda is aiming for greater hybrid affordability with the Honda Insight and other future small hybrids. At the same time, a long list of established car companies—as well as a growing number of start-ups and Chinese manufacturers—have announced plans for electric and plug-in hybrids. Last week, BYD –Chinese auto company, said that it to overtake Toyota as the world’s largest automaker in about 15 years, using electric cars, hybrids and other plug-in cars as a key strategy.
This week Toyota Company has announced that they will replace or reshape accelerator pedals on 3.8 million vehicles involved in the company’s largest recall ever. As the report from hybridcars.com, the announcement expands the scope and the expense of the recall, which was announced on September 29. Toyota Company will replace original equipment floor mats with redesigned mats – the aim of this step is to reduce the risk that the pedal may jammed in the floor mat.
The recall involves Priuses from 2004 to 2009 – and recent year model of the Avalon, Camry, Tundra, and Tacoma, as well as Lexus models IS 250, IS 350, and ES 350.
According the recall, Toyota Company will send first class letters to owners of the Toyota Camry, ES 350, and Avalon by the end of the year. For other models, the owners will be notified throughout 2010.
Toyota Company announced the recall in the late September, assume that many accidents happen because a loose floor mat could force down the accelerator. And this problem suspected of accident that killed 5 people. Moreover, according the report of ABC News, more than sixteen acceleration related deaths and more than two hundred accidents. Toyota Company explain it because they confidence that the problem is linked to floor mats and not a vehicle design flaw or problems related to braking, accelerator or fuel systems. The company must spend more than $5 billion to run this recall.
Dan Edmunds, the Edmunds.com analyst and former engineer said that the actions proposed by Toyota Company today are viable solutions to alleviate the problem.
When gas prices hit upwards of $4 a gallon, it scared a lot of drivers. Many of them switched to the most fuel efficienthybrid car models they could find, and of course, they searched for as much ‘green car’ information as they could get their hands on, too.
Hybrid cars can power the car use an electric motor when the gasoline engine isn’t necessary. Consumers can save more gas because this car allows the ICE or internal combustion engine to shut off. Because of those savings, hybrid cars become more and more popular. And this makes many auto makers, including luxury auto makers have gotten into the game.
As a consumer, let us see which hybrids were the most popular and best selling in this category.
The Toyota Prius may not be as large as the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, but Toyota Prius is juggernaut when it comes to hybrid sales. In 2008, Toyota sold approximately 160,000 Prius hatchbacks. That’s more vehicles than the rest of this five best selling hybrids list combined.
As the most successful hybrid on the market, Toyota Prius not only does it have excellent fuel economy, but it’s also has a great exterior design, which has become the ‘de facto’ shape of a hybrid in most popular minds. Prius is slatted for a new design in 2010 and Toyota is pulling out all the stops: not only improve fuel economy, but this hybrid will be more comfortable and larger, feature solar panels on the roof, and be built in America.
As the first-best selling hybrid, Prius will continue to dominate the hybrid market for years to come.
Toyota Company is king when it comes to hybrid sales. Toyota is well known not just from its Prius hybrid, but Toyota also have Camry hybrid as the second-best selling hybrid of 2008. In fact, Toyota sold more than 46,000 of them in 2008.
While the Prius is well-known for its distinctive shape, the Camry Hybrid flies under the radar. Camry’s exterior only has a hybrid badge separates it from the conventional Camry.
Compared to the conventional Camry, the Camry hybrid manages to get extra 12 mpg or 5.1 kilometers per gallon in the city, and a 26 percent improvement in fuel economy overall. The Camry Hybrid is another one of those “has everything” hybrids. In addition, the eco friendly driver also gets a comfortable passenger cabin and good performance. All reasons that explain the Camry Hybrid’s popularity.
