Toyota sells 8,400 Prius V wagons in U.S. during first 10 weeks

Toyota sold more Prius V hybrid wagons in the U.S. during the model's first 10 weeks of availability than General Motors sold of its Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid all last year, Bloomberg News reported, citing Toyota spokeswoman Carly Schaffner.

Toyota sold about 8,400 of the hybrid wagons since late October. That's roughly 700 more than the number of Volts sold in 2011, even though a GM spokesman told Bloomberg that comparing sales of the Prius V to the Volt was "ridiculous" because of the different drivetrain technologies. Plus, the Prius V's base price is about $13,000 less than the Volt's $39,145 pricetag, though most Volt buyers can get a $7,500 tax credit.

Toyota's looking to boost U.S. sales of the Prius, by far the world's most popular line of hybrids, by about 60 percent this year to 220,000 vehicles with the flagship sedan – now called the Liftback – as well as with the Prius V and the C compact and plug-in versions that are set to debut later this year. U.S. Prius sales dropped 3.2 percent – to about 136,500 vehicles – last year, in large part to supply issues stemming from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last March.


Source: Autoblog Green