Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid

In a new series of web videos released last week, Toyota highlighted the "normal"-ness of the Prius Plug-in by dropping it into the hands of four everyday people who hadn't owned a plug-in before.

Toyota Division Group Vice President Bill Fay told Wards Auto that dealership incentives on the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid will continue to be necessary for the company to keep pace with last year’s sales figures. The automaker sold 12,750 Prius PHEVs in 2012. “I don’t know that we have to necessarily go around and match everybody,” he said, referring to Toyota discounts intended to make plug-in cars competitive with gas-powered vehicles. “But we have to be sure we offer the same kind of value when they go to buy the vehicle.”

With sales of 1,766 units, the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid topped the sales chart in the plug-in segment in November. When you add sales of the Chevy Volt, and the first purchases of the C-Max Energi, the popularity of plug-in hybrids—over pure electric cars like the Nissan LEAF—become very evident.