In a few years, if you're looking to buy a new car, you could find yourself bypassing your local Toyota dealership, heading to the Prius-brand dealership instead, and staring at a selection of hybrid cars in all shapes and sizes. That, apparently, is Toyota's long-term plan.
Reuters reports, "Toyota Motor Co is considering selling a family of Prius-branded hybrids with dedicated areas in dealerships to showcase the expanded line-up, a senior executive said on Tuesday." Today, the Prius is just one model in Toyota dealerships. But Toyota officials want to sell "a series of derivatives under the Prius brand name, including some that come "at a much lower cost," according to Toyota's North American Sales Director Jim Lentz.
Autoblog notes, "We are certain to get a redesigned Prius after it debuts in Detroit in 2009, and after that, the rumormill indicates that a smaller hybrid model is on the way that would more closely compete with the new Honda Insight," a hybrid-only model Honda will sell in 2010 that undercuts the Prius on price. Toyota has also "previewed a hybrid model powered by a smaller gas engine," and offers hybrid versions of its Camry midsize car and Highlander SUV. "With a bit of mild speculation, we could envision a slightly larger model than the current Prius as a replacement for the Camry hybrid, giving Toyota a three-pronged answer to the likes of the Volt from GM and the Insight from Honda."
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