Outline the Technological Factors That Have Affected Prius Sales

1. Advanced Technology

Prius is the first mass produced gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle in the world. The advanced automotive hybrid technology attracted the early adopters and techies, when it became widespread beginning in the late 1990s. Some buyers hacked into the Prius's computer system to modify it. Soon, they shared their hacks through the internet. Nowadays, everyone can just google it and then do-it-yourself, you can even control the car's drive-by-wire steering wheel from your laptop. Of course, any modifications are at your own risk, and the risk of your warranty. But it is still stimulate the sales for the techies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-baRssym-Fo&feature=player_embedded

2. Improvement of Interior

Some have noted that the Gen I Prius was a small and cramped car with a dull design. In 2004, Gen II Prius came in seven colors and the Asian-inspired design was much better looking than the previous model. The interior has been quite substantially upgraded for a much classier look. The interior space significantly increasing rear-seat legroom and luggage room .The largest feature of the Gen II Prius interior is the LCD screen in the center of the dashboard. It displayed everything you need- the fuel consumption, outsider temperature and battery charge level etc...The touch-sensitive aspect of the display makes setting up the navigation system easier than on any competitor without it, and the navigation system itself is more fully-featured than many. Those features are also easier to use, because they're accessible by a simple touch rather than through a complicated menu system. Just about everything is far easier than on non-touch-enabled navigation systems. Due to those countless improvements, the Gen II Prius really cater to the majority consumers in U.S. market.

3. Gas mileage

In U.S. , the full-sized SUV have dominated the car market for over a decade. But things have changed when the gas price skyrocketed. The overall category of gas- electric vehicles in the U.S. is hotter than ever. Consumer started to do the math and try to found out which hybrid vehicle is really save their money.

According to the "Hybrid Vehicles: Compare side-by-side" , published by U.S. Department of Energyand U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009. Prius perform very well among the similar competitors. Not just the gas mileage, the gasoline part of the engine also burns very cleanly. It's simply an excellent choice for those who want to reduce the dependence on oil companies and or who wish to reduce air pollution.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybrid_sbs.shtml