(July 8, 2011) LOS ANGELES — Despite lack of inventory this spring and early summer because of the Japanese earthquake in March, Toyota says the Prius will still beat 2010 numbers. Toyota sold 140,928 units of the Prius last year.

Through June of this year, Prius sales stood at 66,520, nearly identical to first half-year sales last year.

Asia's largest automaker is racing to replenish supply after the lack of inventory led to a 61 percent drop in Prius deliveries in the U.S. in June, to the lowest level since September 2004. Almost half of Prius models are sold in the U.S., where the car accounts for more than 60 percent of hybrids sold since 1999, according to data supplied by automakers, Bloomberg News reported today.

Prius, the company's No. 3 selling car after the Corolla and Camry, is the fastest-growing Toyota nameplate this year, even with the quake-depleted inventories. Demand for efficient cars has increased with higher fuel prices.

"Dealers simply cannot get their hands on them quick enough," said Ivan Drury, an analyst for Edmunds.com, an industry pricing and data Web site. The model "is easily the poster child for inventory issues."

Prior to the quake, Toyota targeted Prius sales in 2011 that would top the car's 2007 peak of 181,221. While that level may be out of reach for now, Toyota can still exceed 2010's deliveries, said Donald Esmond, Toyota's senior vice president for U.S. sales.

Production of Prius and two Lexus hybrids is rebounding faster than Toyota first estimated after the 9-magnitude quake in March. The company expects to be back at full output by September, rather than its earlier target of late 2011.

Toyota also wants to ease a backlog for Prius that's pushed the wait time for consumers to as long as three months in some parts of the U.S. from none at the start of the year, said Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst.

"At the moment, it's the least available of any mass- produced vehicle," said Toprak, with Truecar.com, an industry pricing and data company.

Source: Bloomberg News