Toyota is considering creating a family of Prius gas-electric hybrid sedans by adding new versions of the popular hybrid, The Wall Street Journal reports.
In speaking about the additional models, Tokiuchi Uranishi, head of Toyota's global sales operations, strongly suggested he favors offering a hybrid minivan in the U.S. market. But he said no decisions have been made about that. Toyota has a goal of selling as many as a million gas-electric hybrid vehicles a year by early in the next decade, he said.
Takimoto also said he believes the costs of all-electric vehicles are still too high to allow for broad commercialization of that technology, according to the Journal. He said that Toyota is committed to developing much of its alternative vehicle technology inhouse -? including fuel cells and advanced hybrid vehicles.
The company is also considering expanding production capacity for the Prius, first in Japan and then possibly in other markets including the U.S.
