Toyota plans to roll out two new cars under the Prius name by next year, according to a dealer briefed on the plans, as the automaker seeks to turn its popular hybrid into a family of vehicles.
The Japanese automaker will begin selling a Prius station wagon starting next summer as either next year’s or 2012 model, said Adam Lee, president of the Lee Auto Malls chain of dealerships in Maine. It will sell a plug-in version of the Prius that can get 48km on a charge starting later in the year, he said.
Toyota unveiled the new vehicles at its annual dealer meeting in Los Vegas this week. Lee was briefed on the new models by the manager of his Toyota dealership, who was in attendance.
Also at the dealer meeting, Toyota president Akio Toyoda sought to reassure the company’s 1,200 US dealers that the company is on track for sales growth in the US.
Toyota spokesman Sam Butto declined to comment on any specific product plans.
“We will be coming out with some additional Prius products, but that’s really all I can say at this time,” Butto said.
Toyota has said in the past it hopes to expand the Prius name to a family of vehicles. The Prius is the best-selling hybrid in the US, but sales have been flat this year as the automaker continues to suffer from the fallout from huge recalls.
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