Toyota relying heavily on 2010 Prius and marketing blitz

The Toyota Prius became available worldwide in 2001 and since then has advanced a couple of generations. It isn’t until recently though, that Toyota has admitted the Prius could soon conceivably surpass the Camry as its most popular vehicle. The Prius brand name has become so popular that competitors like GM are trying to mimic its success with green cars like the Chevy Volt.

Thinking beyond the 2010 Toyota Prius, the company plans to expand its offering of the hybrid car to include more models customized for one of its key markets, the United States. This news comes on the coattails of an overall marketing blitz where Toyota plans to offer aggressive pricing subsidies, national campaigns, and budgets for dealers to push their products locally.

The other brands in Toyota’s repertoire aren’t doing so well, “Scion sales were down 51% in the first eight months of the year, while Lexus sales were down 30%,” according to the Wall Street Journal. The dealership meeting that hosted these announcement was toned down as well, highlighting the company’s need to watch how much it’s spending until production is increased.

President Akio Toyoda made an appearance, taking some time to network with dealers and pump them up about the upcoming marketing blitz. Mr. Toyoda took control of the company from his father in June and has experience running some of its operations in the United States.

Toyota is switching to an offensive marketing strategy because it’s seeing signs that the U.S. economy is recovering.

"We are going to take advantage in the fourth quarter" by spending big on marketing and ramping up production to fill out inventory, said Irv Miller, group vice president for public affairs at Toyota Motor Sales. "You can't play defense forever. It's time to play offense."

It’s refreshing to see an automaker rallying in the American market, and Toyota stands to benefit immensely by positioning itself quickly during an economic uptake.