Toyota Prius V launch delayed

The Prius V was first introduced at the North American International Auto Show (Detroit) in January, and was scheduled to be launched in Europe and Japan in April 2011. Toyota had planned two versions of the Prius MPV, a five-seater version for America and a seven-seater version for Europe, with Japan getting both models.

However, due to the recent Japanese earthquake, which resulted in damage to Toyota's factories, the launch will be delayed until further notice. "For that, the Prius will be rescheduled" said Mieko Iwasaki, a spokesman for Toyota.

Toyota confirmed that the main cause of delay is due to the damage cause to one of Toyota's branch factories, Primeath EV Energy Co., in Miyagi, which is supplying batteries for hybrid vehicles including the Toyota Prius.

Primearth, a joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic, has the capacity to supply nickel-metal battery pack for up to 300,000 vehicles per year. Without the batteries, the production of hybrid vehicles by Toyota has decreased to 27 percent. On the other hand, the Prius also has another supplier for the batteries from the factory in Central Shizouka, a city between Tokyo and Nagoya.