Toyota Motors chairman, Takeshi Uchiyamada, thinks that plug-in hybrid vehicles will catch on faster than conventional hybrids like the original Prius.
According to Autonews, Uchiyamada expects to sell no fewer than 1 million plug-in hybrids in less than 10 years, which would be quicker than what it took for regular hybrid vehicles to reach that mark.
“Environmental awareness has become a bigger issue today than it was 20 years ago, and demand for environmentally conscious products has increased,” stated Uchiyamada during an event launching the latest PHEV Prius in Japan.
Even though plug-in hybrid technology has developed rapidly, thus lowering production costs, Uchiyamada couldn’t give a precise estimate regarding when plug-in sales would hit the 1 million mark. However, the Japanese automaker does expect to sell up to 60,000 Prius PHEV models world-wide every year.
This latest version features an all-electric range of 42 miles(67 km) according to Japanese standards, though due to a different measuring methodology, the vehicle’s range is listed at around 25 miles (40 km) in the United States, where the care was launched as the Prius Prime.
With the Prius PHEV set to be introduced in Europe this March, Uchiyamada declined to comment on which other Toyota models might also feature plug-in technology in the near future.
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