Toyota considers building Hybrids in USA

Since demand for hybrid vehicles is so high in the United States, it only makes sense that Toyota is considering ways to increase hybrid production:

Toyota Motor Corp. is considering building some of its popular Prius gas-electric hybrid sedans in the U.S. because production in Japan has not kept up with global demand for the car, a top executive said Wednesday.

Using a Toyota factory here to build the Prius as well as other Toyota and Lexus hybrids now in the pipeline "does make sense," said James Press, executive vice president of Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales USA.

Toyota last month said it was increasing global production of the Prius by 50%, to 15,000 units a month, and would double annual shipments to the U.S. to 100,000 units next year. "But we like to build our vehicles where we sell them," said Toyota Motor Sales spokesman Xavier Dominicis.

Toyota owns plants in Fremont, CA, Georgetown, Ky., and Princeton, Ind.