139,682 Prius in 2009

Is that only 2010 or 09 models as well?

 

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/document/December_2009_PR_Sales_Chart.pdf

Prius December: 11,775 +39.1% vs Dec/2008

Ken@Japan

 

I am sorry to see that the Insight did so poorly in sales because a little competition always brings out the best and being a Honda owner for many years its blot mark in a great auto company. Just goes to show that price isn't everything.

Having said that my new Gen3 Prius has been running like a champ but does take a little adjusting coming from an all ICE car.

 

Toyota's fiscal year is 4-1 through 3-31 so the telling number will be known at the end of next quarter. I understood that for its fiscal year Toyota wanted to sell upwards of 500,000 G3 Prius' worldwide.

 

What I find fascinating is that Two-Mode didn't live up to all the hype. And now that the actual sales numbers about all but certain (only ~ 8,500 total for 2009), we don't have to put up with that anymore. Of course, we already know will is next in line for "over-promise, under-deliver".

You'd think they'd figure out at this point that it's best just to rollout and build up excitement as the real-world data comes in, not before. Counting chickens before they hatch...

All that is making 2010 an interesting year already.

With Toyota's hope of pushing Prius production up well beyond capacity we've seen in the past, marketing to get sales should be interesting... especially when the competition chimes in. Having a whole year of real-world data for Gen-3 should help. We're still very much in that first-year uncertainty.

Anywho, go Prius!
.

 

In the US, about 68% of 2009 CY Prius sales were 2010 MY.

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

FYI,
JP December number will be published on Jan 8th.
Toyota has a lot of back orders (order now = delivery in June), therefore we can expect approx 25,000 in December for sure.

Ken@Japan

 

These are good numbers considering the economy.

 

Down right bizar ... that Prius sales are so strong in this economy.

.

 

If you step back from the hope for quick growth, the 2009 total of 139,682 is a pretty good number.

And taking the 68% of that, you can project the first 12-months of sales for the 2010 here to be around 163,000 ...which is definitely nothing to be disappointed about.
.

 

Combined the Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Golf and Touareg TDI's sold 41,278 total units in 2009.

Prius alone outsold all VW TDI models by more than 3:1 ratio.

 

I think the economy has something to do with this "surprising" result. In a way it should not be surprising, as more people come to the realization that the Prius is in fact a more economical and practical choice when compared against many other cars within this price range.

Cash for Clunkers could also play a role, though I'm not sure how significant.

And even though the price of oil is low now, I think the lessons of 2008 are still resonant, especially among car shoppers in the prominent Prius age group (40-50).

 

When can your "Killer" be your best friend?

"Everything was working against the Prius this year - lower fuel prices, a recessed economy, and a rising Yen."

I don't know if I agree. While it's true the global economy as well at the US economy has been in a recession, a little less than a year ago I started my research into Hybrids and The Prius. I'm not so suprised that The Prius has done well. Watching the whole build up, and release of both the 2010 Prius and 2010 Insight was like watching an approaching Tsunami hit a beach.

Honda and Toyota kind of fed off each other. Every news spot, advertisement, rumor, article about the upcoming 2010 Insight, made people think simultaneously about the upcoming 2010 Prius. The build up to the "showdown" between Prius and Insight, real or imagined was good for both companies. Ultimately better for Toyota as they put a better product on the market with better value for price.

I also think you had a lot of Prius bargain hunters taking advantage of 2009 cash back and incentives (before cash for clunkers).

Then what I witnessed is a rabid base of Prius owners and supporters that had been awaiting the new 2010 Prius like a school of Pirahna waiting for the cow to stumble into the river. You had a large group of people just waiting to purchase ASAP.

I'd be interested to know what percentage of these 2010 model Prius sales are repeat buyers or 2nd Generation owners going to 3rd Generation. Because IMO a recession, low fuel prices and a rising Yen wasn't going to stop this audience from purchasing a Prius. As long as they personally had the resources, they were buying. I also think The Prius appeals to a relatively affluent audience. At around $23,000 to $30,000+, it seems The Prius is often the most inexpensive car owned by a rather affluent person OR the most expensive car owned by someone with a modest income. Everyone is suffering in this economy, but I think the Prius audience is usually a relatively affluent demographic and thus maybe a little more resilient to a recession.

Conversely, I'd be curious as to how many of these Prius sales are first time, never owned a Hybrid before purchases. Because to keep Prius sales up, one way or another Toyota will have to reach that audience, and I'm not sure that's the audience that has been primarily tapped yet.

So I'd just say, I don't think "everything" was going against The Prius this past year. Tough year for everyone, but what car other than The Prius had a more eagerly anticipated and hyped arrival? If you are or have been a loyal supporter owner of a Prius, and you have the financial resources, even in a downturn in the economy what other car would you purchase?

It's impressive to me, how many posts I witness within Prius Chat that are owners that have been in an accident, or suddenly lost their Prius that are asking "Help Me Decide between replacing with a Used Prius or a New 2010?" That type of Brand/Model Loyalty can be invaluable especially in a recession.

 

It is the car, not the brand. To be more specific, it is the technology (Hybrid Synergy Drive). Once you experience the paradigm shift, there is no going back.

 

The 2010 Prius certainly had an upstream battle (bad economy, low gasoline prices, lower priced Insight coming out first), but they did have those "cute" Toyota commercials working for them