Today marks the very first time that the initial batch of the new Toyota Prius has rolled off the Japanese automotive giant’s production line in the Land of the Rising Sun. So far, things look rather dapper for Toyota, as their order books are said to be so filled to the brim, that even President Akio Toyoda himself volunteered to assist in the production line – now how about that? It is as though Microsoft is so swamped, that Bill Gates still needs to code the next version of Windows.
We are talking about the 4th generation Prius, where it was launched at the Tsutsumi plant near Toyota City, Japan. This is a totally new hybrid that will be based on the Toyota New Generation Architecture (TMG), which itself is a hybrid of course, bringing together the best of modular construction as well as the Toyota Production System (TPS). Right now, Toyota is looking to hit an annual global volume of 300,000 to 350,000 Prius vehicles. So far, Toyota claims that it has domestic orders for approximately 60,000 new Prius’s on its books, and the vehicle is sold mostly on a make-to-order system.
It does look as though there is still some more work that needs to be done in order for the rest of the world to catch the Prius vision though.