Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Bests Volt, Leaf in April Sales

Jason Siu
by Jason Siu

Toyota continues to enjoy success with its Prius family of models, as its plug-in hybrid sold 1,654 units in the month of April.

The sales figure trumps its main competitors, the Chevrolet Volt (1,462 sold) and the Nissan Leaf (370 sold) making it the most popular plug-in vehicle last month in America. It’s no huge surprise that the plug-in variant of the Prius is selling well compared to its counterparts, considering how well-known the Prius moniker has become over the years.

Last month the Japanese automaker also saw the highest sales total for its Prius models ever for the month of April, moving a combined figure of 25,168 units across all its model variants. In total, Toyota sold 30,126 hybrids while its luxury division Lexus moved a respectable 2,467. Compared to April 2011, Toyota’s hybrid sales saw a huge jump of 124.6 percent, but it’s worth noting that April 2011 was also after the disastrous tsunami that hindered vehicle production.

“Thanks to continued strong sales of Camry and Prius family, Toyota was America’s number one retail brand for the second straight month,” said Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “With consumer confidence improving, we expect to see sustained industry growth in the months ahead.”

Jason Siu
Jason Siu

Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.

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  • Danwat1234 Danwat1234 on May 04, 2012

    I'm going to wait for nano-wire Li batteries to come out so we can have higher density batteries. My ideal car would be a plug-in hybrid Subaru WRX.. Sounds weird but that's what I want. No boxer engine, just a small Atkinson/Miller genset and a really strong electric motor with all the great AWD and other cool features the WRX comes with.

    • See 1 previous
    • Danwat1234 Danwat1234 on May 04, 2012

      Yes I have heard that the new WRX may have an electrically assisted turbo to reduce turbo lag (to spool it up quick), along with a smaller engine. Sounds like the right direction to take right now. The turbo will still be mostly powered by the pressure of the exhaust system like a regular turbo

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