Toyota Again Boosts Production Of New Prius - 130,000 For 2004

Prius sales target increased 70% for 2004 to 130,000 vehicles

"Japanese car maker Toyota is to boost production of its second generation Prius hybrid model following a surge in demand around the world, including Australia.

The company said the global sales target for 2004 had recently been revised from 76,000 to 130,000.

That target exceeds the total production of the first Prius model between 1997 and 2003.

In Australia monthly demand for the new car is running at five times the rate of the old version."

EDIT

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=communique&newsid=4926

Don't they know that nobody wants these cars? Jeez, next thing you know they'll be making great cameras and stereo...oh...

;-)

I got a close look at the North American International Auto Show. Much nicer lines and a little bit more interior space than previous model years.

GM's hybrid pick up (I forget which model it is, Silverado maybe?) is very VERY cool. They didn't have one on the floor yet, but they had a cut away display prototype and a guy in a white lab coat explaining all the features. I'm not a pick up kinda guy and yet I am really tempted to consider it. One razzle-dazzle feature that will be very popular--built in AC generator. Yes, three prong plug in, will generate 18 hours of electricity on one tank of gas.

something else to go in the "shocked, i'm shocked" category.

just when is the projected availability date? (my guess is not this decade)

But it's not due to arrive on showroom floors until fall of this year, and I'm not holding my breath.

Ford, likewise, no release of the Escape hybrid until this fall. At least, that's the plan.

I expect in about two years, as the shit hits the fan, that North American Car manufacturers, no longer able to sell their dinosaurs, will begin to whine about unfair Japanese competition.

It will be 1973 all over again.

is that GM and Ford never had a commitment to hybrids and thought there wouldn't be any interest in them here, so they put all their R&D into hydrogen (Their "Hy-Wire" prototype was at last years NAIAS, but not this year, hmmmmm). Well turns out that there IS a market for hybrids and once again GM and Ford are left holding their nuts. The corollary to this is once they saw the need to get some hybrids into their line, they weren't willing to move it into the low end so its taking longer to develop powerful enough hybrid engine/motors to run the larger vehicles.

BTW the guy in the white coat's explanation is that GM was commited to getting diesel/electric hybrids into their bus models before moving to the other lines. The bus hybrids are on the road in Seattle as a substantial field test before full implementation. Hybrids in buses will decrease a lot of pollution so this is a very good thing IMHO.

and were threatened by GW our fearless leaders would think
differently... Who the fuck am I kidding?

Small cars are hated by Detroit but hybrids just disliked because they are not as profitable as large SUVs.Hybrids upset the truffle cart by making small cars appealing to manufacture which Japan rationally produced and Detroit rationally ignored.When there is something MORE profitable than an SUV then Detroit will buy the patents and stigmatize the SUV like they did to the small car when SUVs came along.I think hydrogen cars will be so profitable they will compete with SUVs on the production line where your purchase decision is made for you in advance.Link is about low-sulfur gasoline http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=636&contentId=2004244