Will the Prius Bottleneck be Broken?

According to the Nikkan Kogyo industry daily, as reported by Automotive News (Toyota to boost Prius output by 70% - Automotive News), Toyota will be moving some more production around so they can almost double the number of next generation Prius for next year. The 2009 Toyota Prius is a re-model, with a few improvements over the 2008 model year. With the possible changes, they could produce 480,000 units next year. Toyota produced 281,000 Prius in 2007 and are on track for a similar number in 2008. Given the current state of affairs with gas prices, the Prius has been one of the hottest selling vehicles, but Toyota can't keep up with the demand. Waiting lists are months long and there's a 4 day turn around to sell them. In other words, it takes a few days for the new Prius owner, who may have ordered the car months ago, to... [read full story]