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Demand for Toyota Prius Exceeding Supply: car selling at premium prices
According to the Wall Street Journal (Forget Rebates: The Hybrid-Car Markup by SHOLNN FREEMAN on June 10, 2004), high gas prices are spurring consumer interest in the Toyota Prius hybrid car -- so much that some dealers are tacking markups of $5,000 or more on top of the car's sticker price.
Toyota USA has a backlog of 22,000 orders and waiting lists for the Prius can be six months or more even though the U.S. allocation for the car was increased to 47,000 vehicles from 36,000 last fall. According to the article, "Spots on dealers' waiting lists are showing up on eBay where they are being auctioned for $500 or more."
The estimated fuel economy for the 2004 Prius:
EPA city driving: 60 mpg
EPA highway driving: 50 mpg
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