LOS ANGELES -- Toyota hopes to boost annual sales of its hybrid gas and electric Prius in the United States by 75 percent, Yukitoshi Funo, the new president and chief executive of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc. said Tuesday.
Toyota wants to sell 35,000 of its next-generation hybrid car in the United States per year, up from the 20,000 Prius passenger cars Toyota now sells annually, Funo said.
The 2004 Prius hits showrooms next month featuring better performance and higher gas mileage than the current model.
A hybrid car switches between a gasoline engine and electric motor to deliver the best mileage. The car recharges itself during the drive.
Funo said Toyota will introduce a Lexus hybrid next year, followed by other hybrid models over the next decade, when the hybrid market is expected to grow tenfold.
Funo said Toyota does not plan to increase sales incentives as it anticipates a robust American car market for the rest of this year and beyond.
If current sales trends continue, Toyota is set to sell more of its cars in the United States this year than Chevrolet or Ford. Toyota's overall U.S. market share has risen steadily, from 10.1 percent at the end of 2001 to 10.4 percent in 2002 to 11 percent currently.
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