When Toyota Motor Company gave to the public their first-ever mass-produced hybrid 15 years ago, the Prius was, without a doubt, low volume. In the years leading up to today, a shift occurred that has made Toyota’s hybrid family the third best-selling car in the world. At the end of this year’s first quarter, the Prius model line found 247,230 new global buyers which fell behind only to the Corolla and Ford’s Focus.
A big factor to blame for the recent surge in Prius sales can be found in the United States. According to an Automotive News article, three of Toyota’s top 10 best-selling models in the U.S. have a hybrid name stamped to them. Americans are scooping up Prius models faster than before as first quarter sales increased by 42 percent. With new variations to make the namesake a legitimate “family”, total U.S. sales since 2000 are approximately 1.18 million.
The U.S. isn’t the only place where the Prius is making a come back. Even after mass recalls a few years ago, the hybrid is gaining buyers around globe due to incentives and overall demand. In Japan, savings up to 100,000 yen through a qualified-car fund can be had for all Prius models sold domestically. These rebates have brought local, Japanese sales back up and have also helped Toyota return to the top of the global sales tower.
Source: AutomotiveNews.com
