Toyota sees selling 13,000 gas-electric cars in US
Reuters Story - August 25, 1998 20:26
DETROIT, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp., the first automaker to offer a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle to consumers, on Tuesday said it expected to sell about 13,000 of the cars in the United States when it becomes available in the 2000 model year.
Toyota began selling its Prius sedan in Japan in December and has so far sold more than 10,000. To meet stronger-than-expected demand, monthly production was doubled to 2,000, Chris Hostetter, Toyota's corporate manager for strategic planning, said at a news briefing.
Plans call for selling 20,000 of the fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles outside Japan, with two-thirds of those expected to be in the United States.
The car sells for about $16,000 in Japan but prices for the United States have not been set, Hostetter said. The Prius will likely be sold for more than the average Corolla price of $15,500 and below the $22,000-$23,000 that a Camry sells for.
The car is powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor with a rechargeable battery. When measured by U.S. standards, the current vehicle gets 51 miles per gallon. By Japanese specifications, it gets 66 miles per gallon and has a range of 850 miles.
Because the initial acceleration is provided by the electric motor, the car is cleaner burning than conventional gasoline engines. The Prius emits few enough pollutants to qualify as an ultra-low-emission vehicle in California, although Hostetter said Toyota was targeting an even-lower level of emissions.
The Japanese version of the Prius can go 87 miles per hour on its gasoline engine, and hit 100 miles per hour when the electric motor is engaged.
Toyota officials have acknowledged they lose thousands of dollars on each Prius sale. But they said because of its gasoline engine, the Prius offers better driving and cold weather performance than electric vehicles now on sale.
Those features make the Prius, which can seat five people, more of a viable car for buyers who do not want to sacrifice range and other features.
Since General Motors Corp. first launched its EV1 electric car more than two years ago, Hostetter said the number of people willing to pay a higher price for an environmentally friendly vehicle has dropped by 7 percent in California and 6 percent throughout the United States.
"In other words, the more people learn about the product, the less likely they would be to live with the compromises in convenience, range and affordability," he said. "This where the Prius excels." |
