Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales, has been urging his Japanese bosses to allow him to start a Prius subbrand for the US market. It appears that new Toyota president Akio Toyoda has been listening. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Toyota executives announced at a recent dealer's meeting in Las Vegas that they are considering offering new hybrid models larger and smaller than the current Prius hatchback. Perhaps the Prius MR2 will be a reality?
The Prius line would be marketed as a subbrand within the Toyota brand, dealers who attended the Las Vegas meeting said. Like Scion, Toyota's small, inexpensive vehicles, the Priuses would be sold through Toyota dealerships. Toyota doesn't plan to turn Prius into a separate brand with separate dealers, as it did with Lexus, its luxury make.
Irv Miller, TMS Vice President, said "it is not inconceivable that Prius could outsell the Camry."
As many of you who have followed PriusChat over the last year know, Jim Lentz has been pushing the idea of a Prius subbrand for close to a year. At one point earlier this year, the idea appeared to be DOA. But now following the successful launch of the 2010 Prius and the industry-wide movement toward "green" technologies (see Frankfurt Auto Show), the plan has a green light.
Adding other models under the Prius badge could also save the Mississippi plant after sitting idle following construction.
Toyota also announced that they will be spending $1 billion on marketing and advertising in the 4th quarter. That is 30-40% more than Toyota's typical 4th quarter ad buy. The plan includes subsidizing leases and loan rates, offering other customer incentives and helping pay for dealer ads.
So, working under the assumption that the Prius subbrand is a go, what would be the first non-hatchback Prius model that you would like to see?
