The fifth-generation Toyota Prius is a significant improvement over the outgoing model. Its looks alone were enough to write headlines, and sales were skyrocketing earlier this year. However, the automaker’s second-quarter sales report reveals that the hybrid had an abysmal June, with Toyota only selling 13 Priuses last month. Why so few?
When Toyota recalled the Prius for rear doors that could open while driving in April, it also issued a stop-sale on the model to identify a remedy. It had told owners to activate the feature that automatically locks the doors in the meantime, preventing them from opening in the event of a short circuit.
Despite June’s sales being down 99.5 percent compared to last year, they remain up through the first six months of 2024 at 15,373. It might be a small 2.9 percent increase, with Toyota only moving a couple thousand more cars compared to the 13,327 sold in the first quarter, but up is up, and Prius sales should soon recover.
Toyota told Motor1 that it restarted Prius production in Japan last month and that new units should start arriving in the United States later this month and into August. It anticipates the model’s sales to rebound later this year.
