High demand for hybrid

TOKYO: Toyota has landed orders for its low-emission Prius hybrid cars 3.5 times its initial monthly sales target.

Toyota received orders for 3,500 Prius sedans over the first four weeks, since the first Prius rolled off the production lines on December 10. That compares with its monthly sales goal of 1,000 Priuses, it said.

The Prius has drawn keen interest from many automobile buffs because it discharges only half the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by conventional cars of the same engine size and has fuel economy of 28 kilometers per liter of gasoline, more than twice that of conventional vehicles.

The Prius, priced at 2.15 million (US$17,600), is powered by a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor, drawing on conventional combustion and electric energy from a rechargeable battery.