Plug-In Prius Confirmed For 2012
Toyota is currently dealing with over 100,000 back orders for their new 2010 Prius hybrid, but that’s not stopping them from thinking about the future of the model. Reports from Japan indicate that Toyota will be producing about 20,000-30,000 plug-in Prius models per year starting in 2012. This follows recent reports that Toyota will begin leasing a small fleet (about 500) of the cars later this year for testing prior to a full product launch.
The main competitor for the Plug-In Prius will likely be Mitsubishi’s MiEV electric car, which has just entered lease stage for certain fleets in Japan, and the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. Initial reports indicate that the new Prius will be priced at about $48,000, which is on par with the MiEV, but higher than the estimated $40,000 selling price for the Volt. Also, the all-electric range of the car is not all that impressive, with a high-end of about 18 miles per charge. Will that extra range be enough of an incentive for people to pay nearly twice the price of the regular Prius? It’s doubtful, but we’ll have to wait until the end of the year to get reports on the test plug-in vehicles to see how it’s shaping up.
