The Toyota Prius Plus is in high demand in Japan

Toyota continues to ride the success of the Prius, aiming to add yet another sales record to its tally, now thanks to the demand the Prius Wagon (or Alpha or Prius Plus) is enjoying in Japan, as it has surpassed all the expectations the brand had.

The fact is that customers have already placed 52,000 orders for the Minivan, so Toyota has decided to produce 5,000 units a year instead of the 3,000 units originally planned. As a result, the first orders can only be delivered in April 2012.

The takeaway from all this is very simple: as I said before, we are looking at another Toyota model that is going to make waves and that will sell like hot cakes. Bearing in mind that the Prius Plus was conceived with a large share of sales aimed at North Americans, who particularly love this type of body and its load capacity, the Minivan seems set to challenge the Prius for the crown.

In the European market, I don’t know how many Minivans will be able to compete with the Plus, assuming its price stays in line with the Prius saloon. In Spain, it looks like we will have to wait until next year to see it on our streets.

Source | Auto Observer