Toyota will ramp up its hybrid line and may even spin off the wildly successful Prius into a sub-brand that could include several gas-electric hybrids.
Spinning the Prius off is controversial among the brass in Tokyo and any decision is more than a year away, but it's definitely on the table, said Bob Carter, group VP and general manager of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Carter, speaking at the Reuters Auto Summit in Detroit, said he supports the idea as long as the Prius becomes a sub-brand within Toyota, not a standalone franchise.
"Prius has become such an icon in the market that it is my desire, and the desire by many of us... that we nurture Prius beyond one vehicle and more into a family of vehicles," Carter said, according to Reuters.
Such a family could offer a larger version "to meet the needs of larger families" and a smaller one "to meet the needs of people who do not need the space of a mid-size sedan," Carter said. Toyota currently holds 75 percent of the global hybrid market and expects to sell more than 1 million hybrids annually before long, he said.
The Japanese automaker offers seven Toyota and Lexus hybrids, and Carter said it plans to introduce 10 more in the coming years. Check out our review of the 2010 Prius here.
Photo: Toyota. The 2010 Prius makes its debut at the 2009 Detroit auto show.
