Toyota to Up Prius Production by 50-Percent to Meet Demand

"When the all-new second-generation Prius was launched in mid-October of last year, we had an annual sales

In an attempt to try and keep up with demand, Toyota is increasing production of the Prius by 5,000 units per month. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

plan of about 36,000 units," commented Don Esmond, Toyota Division senior vice president and general manager. "Two months later, in December 2003, we announced a 31-percent increase in our sales plan to 47,000 units annually, and promised that if we needed more, we would build more. Clearly, the extraordinary response to Prius took us by surprise. With demand far-outstripping supply, customers have been forced to wait many months for delivery. Our announcement to increase production by fifty percent should prove to our dealers and our customers that we are good on our word."

Toyota will be adding the additional 5,000 units per month to an unspecified assembly line at an existing Japanese production facility. The new Prius design allows it to be built on the same assembly lines as conventional

Not only a leader in the hybrid market, Toyota is also the global fuel economy leader according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Trends Report. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press)

cars, making it much more flexible to produce than the first-generation Prius which needed to be manufactured in its own facility. Toyota will announce the new location later in the year, with production starting within the first half of next year.

While Prius is the world sales leader among Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV), the company that produces it is also the global fuel economy leader, or at least that's what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Trends Report says. According to the EPA, 2004 model year Toyota vehicles attain the best average car fuel economy, the best average truck fuel economy and the best overall average fuel economy of any full-line manufacturer.