And they did it without 'waiting lists' and 'dealer mark-ups' and all of the other scruff that attended the NHW20s! That is awesome planning Team Prius!!

Bob Wilson

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: July 2009 - KickingTires

July 2009 Top 10

• Ford F-Series: 36,327
• Toyota Camry: 33,974
• Honda Civic: 30,037
• Honda Accord: 29,774
• Toyota Corolla: 29,593
• Chevy Silverado: 27,617
• Ford Focus: 21,830
• Ford Escape: 20,241
• Nissan Altima: 19,252
• Toyota Prius: 19,173

I don't think it's ever made this list. Has it?

Indeed. Great work Team Prius!

"The all-new redesigned Prius mid-size gas-electric hybrid posted best-ever July sales of 19,173 units, up 29.7 percent from the year-ago month. Corolla recorded sales of 29,593 units."

The day is approaching ... when the Prius outsells the Corolla ... and that will be a FINE day in history!

Yes, it has... but it is rare.

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

I'm amazed by two things about this list:

- a hybrid is now among the top ten selling cars in the world

- no car in the world has twice the sales of the Prius

You've come a long way, baby!

And the Insight sold only 2300

The new Prius is just incredible!!

These are US numbers, not worldwide.

I was one of the people who got a Prius in July. I had an '05 Corolla that got totaled and needed another car ASAP. I narrowed it down between the Prius and the Corolla. I'm happy with my decision.

Thanks, I realized that after I posted. BUt still, it seems pretty amazing, even for US numbers. We used to be the largest auto market in the world, although I think China is now overtaking us.

This also brings up the question "How's the Prius ranking in the worldwide market?" Haven't seen any data on that.

a great achievement no doubt. an increase in sales from july 2009 is more than impressive considering last year at this time gas was at or near $4 a gallon making high mileage cars in great demand which means the 2009 sales figures for the Pri were a bit bloated because of that. now to top those numbers by another 29% is a HUGE statement on the 2010 moving from niche marketing to mainstream

"Varoom Varoom" my Equus asinus.

Bob Wilson

I'm not sure about global, but this was recently released for Japan:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/over-25000-toyota-prius-hybrid-cars-sold-in-july

Thou shalt not knock another hybrid.
I wouldn't mind seeing the Prius higher up on that list and seeing the Insight as number ten. Instead, two spots on this list (including #1) are occupied by gas guzzlers.

I think many consumers have made a permanent, irreversable shift away from gas guzzlers and towards fuel efficient vehicles. I think we now have a good slice of the pie graph of the general public that is now on our side. If gasoline prices were to stay unchanged at today's prices and if automakers continue to transition more and more towards hybrids, I think the general public would slowly head towards greater than 50% of all vehicle sales being hybrids. I base that in part on the success of the Prius at current gasoline prices and the fact that automakers have pretty much axed SUVs (permanently).

Indeed, the Prius sales figures look great, but I hope Toyota has another plan for striving other than the new Prius...

This is a mixed blessing for me... I was hoping a down economy and reasonable gas prices would give me some bargaining power when buying my new car.

So, the 2010 Prius is now #10 in the US and #1 in Japan...could well be in top 10 (or higher) worldwide. Kudos to Toyota engineers, managers, sales people, etc.

Excellent point. In our zeal to praise the Prius, let's not get too pious. My wife, a proud 2009 Camry Hybrid owner does look too pleased when I complain that I'm "only" getting 48 MPG in stop and go traffic.

"A rising tide lifts all boats (including other hybrids and electrics"

Like MidWestGirl, I too made my purchase in July. I chose the Prius over the Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, and the Honda Insight (Hybrid) and I purchased without using CARS money. I did replace a clunker; a Durango getting 14/16 MPG and requiring Premium gas. And, I too am very happy with my decision.

Thanks for a great car Prius Team. --TK

Hummm, there comes a point where the different hybrid architectures have different engineering attributes. All hybrids are not alike and it isn't a 'knock' to discuss the differences. For example, a hydraulic hybrid would be an excellent solution for urban government trash collection trucks and military armored vehicles. However, it might not scale well for vehicles with other usage profiles.

Another example would be the 'auto-stop' hybrids of GM. I've long speculated that a rural, mail delivery route might provide a driving profile in which they would at least provide some payback. The distances between mailboxes along with frequent stops, 2-3 per mile, might actually work for a Saturn VUE auto-stop, hybrid over a regular Saturn VUE. However, I suspect the Ford Escape might be a better solution and a Toyota Highlander, too much SUV for the task.

As long as the strengths and weaknesses are covered with quantitative data, I don't see any problem with discussing any and all hybrids. Just use the same scale, the same set of criteria, with some justification of that criteria, and I'm a happy camper. After all, sensitivity training also means 'desensitivity' to things that have no weight or are used in the wrong context. <wink>

Bob Wilson

There is still a business tax credit for buying big-@ss trucks. Write or call your Congresspeople and tell them to end that particular bit of social engineering.