Toyota Prius Now 3rd in World Auto Sales

May 30th, 2012 by Zachary Shahan





Toyota Prius has now pulled into third in worldwide auto sales. In other words, that thing is popular! Many probably still think of hybrids as “alternative” vehicles, but apparently they are now very mainstream.

And this is really good news for other types of electric vehicles like the Leaf and the Volt. Why? Well, their first-year sales are looking much better than the Prius’ were, implying that they will one day be on the top of the heap as well (will make it hard for FOX News to rail against them then).

Presumably, rising fuel costs, some new Prius models, concern about global warming, and the fact that the Prius is just a really good car are responsible for its success. And, due to all those factors, the first quarter of 2012 marked the first time the Prius was the third best-selling car line in the world.

“Toyota sold a staggering 247,230 Prius hybrids, beating sales figures for cars like the Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic and Volkswagen Golf,” Green Car Reports… reports. “In first place for the quarter, selling 300,800 cars was another Toyota, the 2012 Corolla. In second place, just under 30,000 cars ahead of the Prius line, was the 2012 Ford Focus.”

Green Car Reports notes that while there was only one Prius model per year available up until one year ago, three additional models have been offered in the last year — the 2012 Toyota Prius C subcompact hatch, 2012 Toyota Prius V mid-size wagon, and the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid.

Congrats to Toyota, the folks who work on the Prius models, and all of you who have decided to go and choose a Prius over a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle.

h/t Inhabitat

Image: Toyota Prius









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