Toyota's 2010 redesign of the Prius was a huge success, but the company is showing no signs of slowing down. The automaker has announced it will double its output of gasoline-electric hybrids to one million per year in 2011, according to Reuters.
That's amid increasing competition from Honda, plus upcoming threats from Ford, Nissan, and Chevrolet, among others.
The Prius became Japan's best selling car in 2009--quite a difference from how the Ford F-150 and Toyota Camry top the charts here. Plus, low-emission hybrid buyers in the U.S. also enjoy substantial tax breaks and subsidies, the report said.
"For the foreseeable future, the focus of Toyota's (low-emission car) strategy will be on hybrids, not electric or fuel-cell cars," said Yoshihiko Tabei, chief analyst at Kazaka Securities, in the article. "Except for Honda, Toyota is facing little competition in hybrids and is set to put distance between itself and other automakers."
source: pcmag
