Prius still ready to fetch top dollar
Questions regarding battery packs still exist
Toyota has announced that production of the Toyota Prius will restart on Monday, as well as production on the Lexus HS 250h and the Lexus CT 200h. However, it is still unclear whether a shutdown at several battery factories could yet impact full scale hybrid production in Japan.
Still, don’t expect any new deals on hot hybrids like the Prius.
Even before the earthquake-caused production shutdown, many dealerships in hot hybrid markets, such as Southern California, were already beginning to run short of Prius supplies thanks to $4.00+ gas prices. While some of those supply issues could have been resolved by redistributing nationwide Prius supplies, the increased demand was causing many dealerships to squash hybrid deals.
Even with Prius production set to restart, some dealerships are expecting lower than normal supplies to last up to a few months. Couple this with rising oil prices and the upcoming shift to more expensive summer gasoline blends, and a big jump in gasoline prices is almost certain heading into summer. That will probably keep demand for hybrid cars high until there is some pullback in gas prices.