2010 Toyota Prius goes on sale in Japan with 80,000 orders already taken

Toyota’s all-new 2010 Prius officially went on sale in Japan today and has already garnered enough orders to easily outsell the rival Honda Insight hybrid. According to Toyota, the Prius has already had 80,000 advance orders and should easily reach its annual sales goal of 400,000 units worldwide.

The news bodes well for Toyota, which is still preparing for an all-out price war with Honda's Insight. Now, sales for both cars are expected to rise, especially in light of new incentives for hybrid car buyers provided by the Japanese government.

The Prius, now in its third generation since its 1997 introduction, remains the best-selling petrol-electric hybrid in the world, with sales of more than 1.25 million units since its launch. With a fuel-economy rating of 51mpg in the city, 48mpg on the highway and a combined figure of 50mpg, the latest Prius is expected to be the most popular yet and by itself should eclipse this tally.

Pricing starts at ¥2.05 million (approximately $21,400) in Japan, which is more costly than the Honda Insight, but it comes with a larger engine and more standard features. Interestingly, Toyota is still selling the previous generation Prius alongside the new model and it will be interesting to see what this will do for overall sales. In the U.S., pricing for the 2010 Prius will start at $21,000, or about $1,200 over the Honda Insight.

Whoever will win out of the hybrid battle will now be decided in the global market, but whatever the outcome the result is good for consumers as the rivalry will likely create a new price war.

Toyota launches new build-your-own Prius configurator

Last month Toyota has released official pricing for the 2010 Prius, starting at $21,000, or about $1,200 over the Honda Insight, and now Toyota has officially launched the online configurator for the 2010 Prius, which allows you to create your own hybrid with exactly the options you want and find out just how much it's going to cost.
Here it is. Starting with the Prius II (there are five levels, Prius I through Prius V, the Prius I still unannounced), which is expected to be the most popular model, the $22,000 base price grows to $25,674 with the addition of just the leather interior upgrade (including leather-faced seats) and the Vehicle Stability package, which adds a smart key system, stability control, a backup camera, auxiliary audio input and MP3/WMA playback - all core features for most buyers. And that's without any options like cargo nets ($51), carpet mats ($199), wheel locks ($67), or an XM satellite radio receiver ($449).

While the Prius remains popular around the world, in Japan the cheaper second-generation Honda Insight hybrid is achieving triple its monthly sales targets despite the doom and gloom surrounding the global economy. Furthermore, with a starting price of just $19,800 in the U.S., analysts are expecting the Insight to perform similarly in local showrooms.

To combat the Insight - at least in Japan - Toyota is selling the current Prius alongside the third-generation model as a cut-priced model. The company has also slashed prices on its new, improved and more feature-packed new 2010 Prius to nearly match that of the Insight. Prices start at $21,000, though the model expected to prove most popular, the Prius II, starts at $22,000. The configurator doesn't yet allow you to price out your own bargain-basement Prius I.

"The 2010 Prius delivers outstanding mileage, performance and advanced technology at a great price," said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division. "This [$22,000] model provides more than $2,000 added value, including the features most buyers want, at the same price as the current base model," he said.

Five trim levels are available, Prius I through Prius V. The Prius I is the $21,000 model and offers a minimalist - but still unannounced - feature set, while the Prius II starts at $22,000 and adds a host of features including electronically adjustable driver's seat, keyless entry and more. Prius III bumps base pricing by another $1,000, and the Prius IV adds $2,800, starting at $25,800. The top-end Prius V starts at $27,200 and includes 17in alloys and foglamps, but navigation is still an optional extra available for $1,800 on the Prius III and higher.