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Toyota Expects Prius to Overtake Honda's Insight

After struggling to cut prices on the new-generation Prius, Toyota is now confident that the upcoming model has the ability to outpace its main rival Honda Insight and record bigger sales, at least in the domestic market. According to a report by Reuters, Toyota expects Prius orders to reach 40,000 before the model goes on sale in May, as demand for the hybrid seems to grow up in Japan.

Chunichi and Nikkei Japanese publications said Japanese dealerships have already received around 20,000 orders for the third-generation Prius, with Toyota officials expecting up to 40,000 ahead of the official debut.

"We are developing a low-priced hybrid vehicle like Honda's Insight," Akihiko Otsuka, chief engineer of the redesigned, third-generation Toyota Prius, said. "We are going to compete by expanding our hybrid-vehicle lineup to smaller hybrids, in the class of the Vitz and Yaris," he said without providing details on the official launch date.

"The Auris platform was designed so it could also carry a hybrid system," Otsuka said. "By making it flexible, it can accommodate future overseas production and reduce costs."

On the other hand, Honda is less interested in this virtual competition and although it admitted that Insight prices play a very important role in this ailing market, the company rejected any idea related to cutting prices on the domestic market.

"I don't think that would be meaningful to do so," Honda Motor Co. President Takeo Fukui told Autonews in early April. "I think that is something we can't do right now," he said. "We have to carefully examine the new Prius to know whether it is necessary for us to take certain measures."
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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