Prius set to make a mark

The Toyota Prius is heading for full-on brand status as it increases its cult following in the US. Toyota is working on a plan that would see all of its future hybrid models carrying the Prius badge.

So, in addition to today's four-door Prius sedan, there could be a Prius city car, hatch, people mover, four-wheel-drive and truck.

As well, of course, as a Prius sports car.

“No details about an expanded range are available yet, but it has been rumoured for ages,” Toyota Australia chairman emeritus John Conomos says.

The Prius push is coming from the US, where Toyota believes the Prius branding is one of the strongest it has, rivalling Lexus and the landmark support for the LandCruiser in Australia.

The following is so strong in the US that many hybrid owners say “I drive a Prius”, not “I drive a Toyota.”

Toyota has also leveraged its Prius push with plenty of celebrity placements.

High-profile Prius owners include actresses Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow and actors Ted Danson and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Many more Hollywood stars use a Prius for special events, including the Academy Awards.

The success of the Prius is also reflected in the number crowding the highways of California and even their use for limousine and police work.

Despite all of that, Toyota is still lagging on its stated aim of achieving one million hybrid sales a year by 2010. It has only just hit one million in total and, apart from the Prius, most of its hybrid line-up wear Lexus badges, from the RX 4WD to the luxury LS600.

The Prius has been a reasonable success in Australia, where it has been sold since 2000.

It had a full model change three years ago.

Even so, Toyota Australia says it is not aware of the push for more Prius models or the brand-building program in the US.

“We know nothing about any plan along those lines,” Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen says. “We are not privy to what they are thinking about. If a plan exists, and that is very definitely an `if' for Australia, it hasn't filtered down to a working level yet.”