Toyota Prius sales down

Sales for the Toyota Prius in April 2006 has dropped nearly 25% compared to April 2005, the same time period last year. Toyota sold 7,500 Toyota Prius hybrids in April 2006, compared to 11,345 in April 2005. Sales for the year 2006 to date is also 10% less compared to the same time period in 2005.

This drop has been touted as a reflection of the public’s declining interest in hybrid cars (Carlos Ghosn would be smug about this), but Toyota says the drop in sales is because of a production shortage, nota decline in the vehicle’s popularity.

Jim Lentz, group vice president and general manager for Toyota said to the media “If I had the vehicles, we could do 250,000 this year. We’re going to end April with just a four-day supply of Prius, and I don’t see that situation improving until later this year“. Toyota’s estimate of 250,000 is more than double the amount of Toyota Prius hybrids sold in 2005 (107,897 cars) but looks like whether it’s production issues or lower popularity, the figure won’t be achieved this year.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • cxcheng (Member) on May 04, 2006 at 12:10 pm

    I have been seeing too many Priuses around the SF Bay Area, and especially in trendier parts of town. I think it just points to the fact that a Prius is a statement, usually by the younger and trendier crowd, and occasionally by bawding geeks. The market for such is inherently limited.

    As for practicality, people who are worse hit by higher fuel prices are leastly likely to afford vehicles like that. People who can afford them can i) afford the higher fuel prices, and ii) can find more effective ways of saving on money such as driving less or cutting back on other extravagant activities.

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  • GT27 (Member) on May 04, 2006 at 1:25 pm

    I think people will have options go to the small cars like Toyota Yaris or Honda FIT in US, since the price of the these small car are US14k or below compare to US22k Prius, and these small car easily get 34/40 miles city hwy too. I will wait for hydrogen car instead of these hybrid technology, which is not the best or the most efficient technology for solving the gas peoblem.

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  • Jason (Member) on May 04, 2006 at 5:53 pm

    Exactly, this hybrid cars are not as efficient as they claim it to be.

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  • motorhead (Member) on May 04, 2006 at 6:43 pm

    i think overall all car sales goin down.. bcoz of petrol price…, but i am looking forward to see auto manufacturers make biodiesel compact cars..

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  • Jason (Member) on May 04, 2006 at 7:15 pm

    How about that electric car which can do 200 miles on every 5 hour charge?

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  • motorhead (Member) on May 04, 2006 at 7:47 pm

    Yeah electric cars cool oso.. but but with recent tech they ve limited speed & carriage capacity.. furthermore the battery doesnt come cheap.. biodiesel engines ve bright future.. especially if mankind manage to produce fully syntetic biodiesel 100% from plant.. which i think possible, & they goin to do it near future.. then we have not to worry about decreasing oil reserve & msia wud be lucky to be one of biggest palm oil producer.. furthermore i prefer a car that still produce smoke.. so i can keep racing & kentut cars behind.. i cant imagine cars without sound of our conventional car eksos… motorhead cant live without VRROOOMMM.. sound.. can u?

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  • Ralliace (Member) on May 04, 2006 at 8:52 pm

    I know for a fact that the maintenance of these hybrid cars are so damn expensive and not many workshops have the experience let alone the tools to maintain/repair them. That's the main reason why these cars are not big hits as predicted!

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  • rexis (Member) on May 05, 2006 at 1:03 am

    yeah, biodiesel is the way to go, bring in biodiesel compact car now!

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  • goingberserk (Member) on May 05, 2006 at 1:25 am

    Biodiesel is good alternative to current fuel. but having said that that's pretty long way to go before it is able to make any commercial impact. First we are talking about the car technology using biodiesel or even electric cars that can cruise along the highways for a long distance travelling in which currently is not available commercially as yet. Hydrid is the way to go in the distant future but my guess is probably 10-15 years from now. Then we are talking about mass production of hybrid cars that cater for electric, solar, biodiesel fuels. Thats lot's of commitment . I believe american, european and japanese will be the 1st to mass produce.. Now how about Malaysia ????. Anyone ?

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  • motorhead (Member) on May 05, 2006 at 5:28 am

    i will not suprise if one day PETRONAS would invest in palm oil plantation & industries… msia can be a biodiesel hub… but not after they suck our natural oil until it dries out…

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  • Joe Ooi (Member) on May 05, 2006 at 7:47 am

    So I can imaging the petrol stations will become redundant, this biodiesel can be arrange side-by-side with edible oil in supermarket's shelf! So ocnsumers purchase cooking oil and biodiesel at the same time and same place.

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  • rexis (Member) on May 05, 2006 at 4:32 pm

    No matter what petronas do, they better start doing something now. Let it be invest in oil palm plantation or biodiesel refinery or engine research(fuel efficient engine, turbo or F1 engine not needed here) or battery research(for the future).

    Biodiesel will utilize current filling infrastructure, ie we still visit siham to pum in vegetarian oil.

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  • honda_driver (Member) on May 05, 2006 at 4:40 pm

    unfortunately, most of our vehicles cannot use biodiesel even if it was available today. Only in europe are diesels widely accepted in passenger cars. Not the US, or Japan, or the rest of the world for that matter.

    http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Friday/C…
    Business Times

    May 5 2006

    OIL companies in Malaysia will have to supply Envo Diesel, a made-in-Malaysia biofuel, and bear the blending costs when the law mandating its use comes into force next year.

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