"Toyota Reviewing Plans to Produce Popular Prius Hybrids at Mississippi Plant" Green Car Advisor

Toyota Reviewing Plans to Produce Popular Prius Hybrids at Mississippi Plant

Plans to make the Toyota Prius at the carmaker's new U.S. plant in Mississippi are being reviewed by a new emergency task force charged with propping up the company's profits.

U.S. production of the Prius, originally scheduled to begin in 2010, could now be pushed back to 2011 or later, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported today.

Zoe Ziegler, a media relations representative for Toyota North America, told Green Car Advisor today that "we are currently looking at our global company to see if any changes are needed due to the economic conditions."

However, the plan to produce Priuses at the Mississippi plant beginning in 2010 still stands, she said.

The task force, chaired by President Katsuaki Watanabe, was formed after Toyota booked an operating loss in North America for the first half and slashed its full-year earnings forecast.

Toyota's Mississippi plant had been slated to build the Highlander SUV. But amid falling sales of big vehicles, Toyota opted instead for the Prius to tap booming demand for fuel-efficient cars.