NAGOYA (Kyodo) The hybrid Toyota Prius is becoming explosively popular in the United States, especially in the wake of surging gas prices, and there is almost a six-month waiting list to get one.
At a meeting of Toyota Motor Corp.'s U.S. dealers in Las Vegas at the end of September, Chairman Hiroshi Okuda was surrounded by dealers complaining about late deliveries and calling for the start of U.S. production of the car as soon as possible.
Toyota's business in North America has been impressive, with its consolidated operating profit reaching 240 billion yen in the April-September first half of this business year, up 50 percent from the year before.