29 Jul 2008
Toyota is planning to boost production of its iconic Prius hybrid by 70 per cent as worldwide demand for fuel-efficient vehicles continues to soar.
According to reports at the Treehugger blog, the Japanese manufacturer plans to boost production to 480,000 units a year following the launch next year of its third-generation model, the Prius NHW10.
The news follows Toyota's announcement in May that it has sold one million units of the Prius since its launch a decade ago and further underlines its commitment to the brand as a major growth area over the next few years.
The company said at the time that it wanted to sell one million or more hybrids annually as early as possible post-2010 and has now signalled its intention to scale up production to help meet that goal.
The bulk of the company's Prius hybrids are manufactured at its Tsutsumi plant in central Japan. It is reportedly planning to increase output from the plant by moving production of its Wish minivan to another facility.
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Up Yours GM
Too bad GM spent a fortune developing a 620hp, 8mpg super vette! They could have done what Toyota did, and the jobs wold have stayed home! No wonder their stocks are falling and their products are rusting on the car-lots! - Instead we get vapor-ware, the Volt, a 1979 Chevelle with electric motor and a heavy Detroit steel body to kill the batteries! One day, after Toyota starts using Hemp fiber panels, like BMW and Carbon Fiber bodies like Tesla, GM will produce an econo-box in China and try to undersell Toyota. Why can't they stand up and run with the ball, we need the jobs!
Posted by Uncle B, 30 Aug 2008