Prius Family

Published Sept. 18, 2009 at 3:45 p.m.
Rumored for years, it looks like Toyota is finally moving ahead with creating a family of vehicles under the name 'Prius'...Toyota is looking to create a sub-brand name out of the popularity the Prius has had so far.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda, at a Las Vegas meeting, told top dealers in the US to expect a new family of cars to sell, but not a new brand name (like Scion).  This was confirmed by Irv Miller,  Group Vice President.

The Prius name is "an industry leader and has got such great brand recognition," said Peter DeLongChamps, a vice president at Group 1 Automotive Inc., a national dealership chain. The expansion plan "makes sense."

Mr. Miller, the Toyota spokesman, said "it is not inconceivable that Prius could outsell the Camry," the midsize car that is Toyota's best-selling model.

It's unclear how soon such a family of vehicles (larger and smaller than the current Prius, plus a plug-in model) would appear in the market...Right now, there's a limit on how many Prius can be built at any one time given the limited supply of batteries and hybrid motors.

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