Clean Green Cars: One More Time: There's a Toyota Prius wait list?

One More Time: There's a Toyota Prius wait list?

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery

Auto sales are down - that’s not exactly a surprise to anyone anymore. But Toyota has revived a little something from last summer called a wait list - for people who are interested in buying a new 2010 Prius. According to a story in The New York Times, Toyota is running its Prius production plants in Japan 24 hours a day and offering overtime to workers - even bringing in workers from other areas of the country - to meet demand for the hybrid car. Panasonic EV Energy, the Prius’ battery supplier, is also working constantly to keep churning out packs for the model.

This is the effect of those higher-than-expected sales numbers. The NYT says that the waiting list is “several months” long in Japan. While impressive considering the marketplace, Toyota is still warning that 2009 will not be a profitable year for the company.

Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius