TOKYO (AP) – Toyota’s much ballyhooed plug-in hybrid Prius Prime is being pushed back by several months, with the new sales date set for late this year or early next year.
Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday the launch dates were being delayed for Japan, but not for the U.S. and Europe because they were set to follow Japan from the start. It was unclear what the dates were for any of the regions.
“We decided we want to take our time and more care before starting mass manufacturing,” said company spokeswoman Kayo Doi. She would not give other details.
Toyota leads the industry in hybrids, which switch between a gas engine and an electric motor.
It has sold 9 million hybrid vehicles since 1997, but only about 75,000 plug-ins, which charge from a regular household plug and switch to operating as hybrids only when batteries run low.