Illinois Drivers Face 8-10 Month Wait For Toyota Hybrid

A surge of central Illinois motorists is surviving high gas prices by buying hybrid cars. Waiting lists for the cars are growing with each passing day.

Some people say patience is a virtue. That statement holds true for new car buyer Joyce Harant. ''I did not expect to be told two to four months when I ordered it,'' said Harant. Joyce considers herself lucky now because anyone placing an order for a new Toyota Prius can expect an eight to ten month wait.

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Peoria Toyota has at least 14 people on its Prius waiting list. Four were added in just the past ten days.

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Toyota dealerships aren't the only ones with hybrid waiting lists. This Lexus dealership has a waiting list ten people strong for its SUV hybrid that's not even on the lot yet. And sales reps say gas mileage isn't a main selling feature."

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http://week.com/morenews/morenews-read.asp?id=4097

:bounce:

Well, at least when I checked back late last year, there was an 8 month wait, said they could not keep the cars on the lot.

I settled for a 2004 corrolla S with a stick, gets 39-42 MPG which is not all that bad at all

Not that I'm planning on buying one, but with time to kill during my 30,000-mile service, what the heck?

Anyway, the salesman, who seemed to know his stuff, said that the bottleneck is not the cars, but the hybrid batteries. They're manufactured by Panasonic, and they're being extremely careful with these labor-intensive units, since they're absolutely critical components.

So, FWIW, that might be the reason for the holdup - aside from huge demand.