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Toyota Motor Corp says that it has sold 52,000 of its new Prius Alpha in just one month, surpassing its expectations. The Prius Alpha, a wagon based on the Prius hybrid car, was expected to sell around 3,000 units in its first month. That expectation was significantly outpaced when the model clocked 52,000 sold between its debut May 13 and June 15.
The Prius Alpha gets about the same gas mileage as the regular Prius model, but appeals to families with more seats and storage space. A Toyota spokesman said it will “take some time” to fulfill all the orders -- something to the tune of close to a year.
© Compiled from news reports
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goddog
I still think these cars are very dangerous in Japan. At least with a normal car, you can hear it coming when it does not stop at a stop sign.... which no one does. Stop signs are just art in this country,
When riding a bike, if a Prius comes up to a stop sign and drives straight through it, a lot of bicycle people are going to get hit.
ihavegreatlegs
I agree goddog. I almost got hit yesterday by a Prius leaving a parking lot.
papasmurfinjapan
yeah, i've been surprised by priuses (prii??) a few times in supermarket parking lots gliding right past me without a sound.
nandakandamanda
Back to the article for a second; that is an amazing number.
3,000 orders expected, but 52,000 placed.
The article does not say if this is for Japan alone, or for the whole world, but no-one seems bothered by that little detail.
The Prius arouses almost equal levels of admiration and hatred among people. Toyota must be doing something right. I guess they have read the signs of the times correctly, and the nature of the herd.
The Prius does nothing for my heart, but millions have fallen in love with it.
Perhaps a 'flubber' noise might be acceptable to warn weaker road users.
Frank E. Daulton
Unfortunately, the lithium car battery is in the driver's armrest (for the 7-seater model). Based on how much electromagnetic radiation my MacBook Pro throws off while charging, there may be more and more Prius-related cancers in the future.
saru_au
wow, they make it less ugly and it sells, someone at Toyota is "smart"
papasmurfinjapan
Actually, I just checked it out on Toyota's website.. certainly looks "better" than the current prius. It also says there is a button you can press which, when activated makes a sound (like a reversing beep perhaps?) while driving in EV mode under 25 km/h. It is touted as a "safety feature for pedestrians", so at least Toyota is listening to consumer complaints and trying to rectify them.
All in all I must admit it is a reasonably priced car considering what you get. The real let down for me with the prius is the cheap plastic interior. If on the higher end models they had a higher quality cabin finish with soft touch materials instead of the same cheap plastic found on their entry models, then I'd seriously consider it. Even a VW polo has a high quality cabin finish than the Prius Alpha G and it costs $10,000 less.