Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it will double the number of Prius hybrid-electric cars that it sends to the U.S. market to 100,000 units annually next year, making it the Japanese automaker's third best-selling sedan.
Rising U.S. gasoline prices have boosted demand for the Japan-made Prius sedan, which can get up to 55 miles per gallon. Buyers in some parts of the United States wait up to six months for their cars to arrive.
The futuristic-looking sedan, which has a sticker price of $20,875, has evolved from being a technological novelty to a mainstream car.
The hybrid version of Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s Civic sedan hasn't had the same success as the distinctive-looking Prius, which has become the darling of Hollywood stars as well as environmentalists. The Civic, on the other hand, is indistinguishable from the Civic with a gasoline engine.
With the increased production, Prius will become one of Toyota's top selling cars in the United States next year, behind the Camry and Corolla. Toyota sold 413,000 Camry sedans last year.
Toyota, the world's No. 2 carmaker, has said it would raise output capacity of Prius by half to 15,000 units a month in the first part of next year because of the strong demand.
"Over one-half of total worldwide Prius production will be targeted for the U.S. market," Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager of Toyota's U.S. operations, said in a statement.
Toyota, which became the world's first automaker to develop a hybrid car for mass production in 1997, has targeted annual global sales of 300,000 hybrid vehicles by 2005.
Toyota also plans to introduce hybrid versions of its Lexus RX 300 and Highlander sport utility vehicles early next year.
