Toyota may expand Prius hybrid line

13/10/2008 18:05. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Toyota Motor may create a separate brand for its Prius hybrid car and could add both larger and smaller Prius models to the lineup, the head of Toyota's American sales division said Thursday.

James E. Lentz III, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., said he had proposed the idea to senior company executives in Japan. Lentz said he did not know when they might approve the project, but said he would meet with executives in Japan next month to discuss future models.

Toyota officials first discussed the concept of a separate Prius brand at the Detroit auto show in January.

Lentz, who spoke after the dedication of Toyota's new safety and engineering center in Ann Arbor, said the Prius brand would be similar to Scion, Toyota's brand of lower-priced cars aimed at younger... // Rutland Herald