We wrote previously that Toyota was pulling out all the stops to keep Honda from stealing its hybrid thunder with the Insight, and, apparently, their tactics are working. The 2010 Prius is set to go on sale in mid-May in Japan, and the automaker has reportedly already pre-sold 20,000 and it's expected that pre-sales will reach 40,000 by the time they hit the lot.
While Toyota isn't confirming the pre-sale numbers, multiple local Japanese newspapers are reporting that dealers have received the large quantity orders.
The Honda Insight outsold the Prius in Japan when it came on the market in February, with 18,000 sold in the first month. If the pre-sale numbers are any indication, the Prius will easily reclaim its place on top.
Toyota is expected to reduce the price of the Prius in Japan to around $20,750 to make it more competitive with the less-expensive Insight. Toyota sold 73,100 units of the car in Japan in 2008 and the carmaker has set an ambitious global sales target of 400,000 in 2010. No word yet on what the pricing strategy in the U.S. will be, but it's likely that there will be a price reduction compared to the current model here as well.
via Reuters
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