Toyota has been swamped by orders for its first mass market hydrogen fuel-cell car, the company said Thursday, with demand in the first month nearly four times higher than expected for the whole year.
The Japanese auto giant said it had received more than 1,500 orders for its “Mirai” sedan since its launch in mid-December. It had planned to sell 400 in Japan over 12 months.
Roughly 60 percent of those orders are from government offices and corporate fleets, with the remaining 40 percent from individual consumers, the company said in a statement.
I -Word Understanding
swamped – having to deal with a large number of (orders)
fleets – groups
II – Have Your Say
1. “Mirai” means future. Could Toyota’s Mirai be the future of green cars?
2. Toyota has announced it is making thousands of patents for fuel cell vehicles royalty-free in an effort to encourage other automakers into the new industry.
3. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wants all government departments to use fuel-cell cars, and pledged to cut red tape so it is easier to set up hydrogen re-fuelling stations.
