Prius, Toyota's hybrid car, will soon be sold in RP

MANILA, Philippines - By mid-June, the Toyota Prius will be launched in the Philippines, a move that is seen to jumpstart the country’s alternative fuel vehicle industry. The Philippines is the fourth Asian country where the Prius will be sold. The car that can run on both electricity and gasoline is commercially available in Japan, China, and Thailand. Besides emitting fewer greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change, the Prius is also considered as the world’s best-selling hybrid passenger vehicle. Initially, 25 units of the Prius will be put on display in each of Toyota’s local distribution centers, Raymond Rodriguez, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. first vice president for vehicle sales, said. The company has 27 dealerships nationwide, 20 of which are in Metro Manila. Two Prius models have been put up for testing in the country, one is in Malacañang while the other is at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). If local demand for the vehicle reaches an average of 20 units a month, then it makes sense to sell the car in the Philippines, Rodriguez added. The Prius may be more expensive than Toyota Philippines’ Camry, its high-end model, which cost anywhere from P1.99 million to P2.250 million, depending on the model’s variant. The car is “very much in demand worldwide," Rodriguez said, adding that there is an estimated reservation of 80,000 units around the world. “I think it would be very easy to sell Prius in the Philippines because we have received many queries on hybrid vehicles but the problem is technical," he said. Earlier, poor road conditions in the Philippines have discouraged the carmaker to introduce the Prius locally. But Japanese engineers modified the vehicle’s features – including suspension tuning and its ground clearance – to adjust to the country’s road structure. “As our responsibility as manufacturer, we want to make sure there is no problem with the vehicle even with bad roads. We are strict on quality assurance," Toyota president Hiroshi Ito earlier said. - GMANews.TV