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Toyota to begin sending 3000 new Priuses to China each year. good/bad news

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Rybold, Aug 12, 2009.

  1. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    BEIJING – Toyota Motor Corp. plans to start selling its latest generation Prius cars in China next year, possibly as early as March, according to Toyota executives.
    Toyota is targeting sales of 3,000 new Prius cars a year in China.

    Toyota Perseveres With Prius in China - WSJ.com

    Update: Note that this is 3000 per year and not 3000 per month. This means it will only cut into global Prius supply by 250 Priuses per month. Why am I speaking as though this is somehow okay? Because it's probably not a bad idea to help in getting the billions of Chinese people to start thinking green. If shorting our Prius supply by 250 Priuses per month is planting "green" seeds into China, then it will be worth it in the long run.
     
    #1 Rybold, Aug 12, 2009
  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    It also moves China forward from just a 3d or 2nd world status towards a developed nation. At a minimum, the Prius becomes an impressive statement of their progress. But given they provide the rare earths needed to manufacture NiMH batteries, it is a reasonable request that some of the Chinese raw resources come back as finished goods.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #2 bwilson4web, Aug 12, 2009
  3. justlurkin

    justlurkin Señor Member

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    I travel to China at least once a year on business..

    What I see there on the ground leaves me with the impression that the Prius will not be a big seller for the foreseeable future.

    When I was in Beijing last December, the notorious smog is already back (they were able to curb it somewhat during the Olympics by severely restricting auto traffic and mandating factory closings during the Games). The Chinese government however is not moving very fast on environmental issues because their chief concern is economic stability, so there is little in the way of government incentives to purchase hybrids.

    The Chinese market also has domestics competing against Toyota, such BYD and their hybrids, and Geely with their subcompact gas-only cars. And the Chinese have always had a historic enmity against anything Japanese stemming from the early 20th Century when Japan invaded China prior to WW2.

    I don't think I saw a single Prius anywhere on the roads when I was there, and the Prius has been available in China since 2006. Even more puzzling that the only other factory building the Prius is in China. Go figure. :confused:
     
    #3 justlurkin, Aug 12, 2009
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    If it'll help them curb their pollution but it's gonna be hard. Think about the millions of chinese who only recently can finally afford a car. They're going to buy the more luxurious one they can afford. If there's a BMW for the price of a Prius, you know which one they'll go for (actually VW and Buick are the most prestigious brands there aside from the German 3)
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Aug 12, 2009
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