Aug. 23, 2007
By  Normandy Madden
http://adage.com/china/article/china-news/toyota-relaunches-prius-online/119978/ 

BEIJING--Toyota Corp. hopes to spur sales of its environmentally friendly Prius car in China with a new website, www.prius.com.cn, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, Beijing, which established an interactive division earlier this year.

Toyota introduced Prius in China in January 2006, but sales have been sluggish. Imported cars are heavily taxed in China, so the sticker price of a Prius in China is much higher than a similar model would cost in markets where the car has sold well, such as Japan and the U.S. The price for a basic Prius in the U.S. is $20,950.

Also, the original communications strategy for Prius was based on the functions and benefits of a hybrid car, an advanced strategy for a country still in the early stages of environmental awareness. The Japanese car company deduced that Chinese understand the benefits of a Prius on a rational basis but they do not connect on the emotional level.

"Who wants to care for the future when everything is so focused on getting rich now? As a result, they focus on rational reasons for not buying Prius such as the high price or small size compared to other similarly priced cars," said Gentaro Makinoda, account director at Saatchi & Saatchi, Beijing.

The new online campaign "steps back to educate consumers first, so they know they are buying the future, not just a car, to make it worth the premium cost," he added. With tips about how to make the world better, the website allows Chinese "to feel like they are giving something back to next generation, and that buying a Prius is being part of global movement. "

The site contains a carbon dioxide simulator, which consumers can use to calculate how much CO2, a greenhouse gas, their house emits, with tips about how to reduce emissions. Another section lets visitors make a public pledge about steps they can take to help the environment and read other pledges, such as taking public transport to work rather than driving.

When the site has received one million pledges, Toyota plans to respond with a significant community contribution, such as planting one million trees or flowering plants, but the exact act has not been determined yet. The site launched on Aug. 15, and will run at least one year. Toyota is promoting it with print ads as well as banner ads on other Chinese websites.
In the U.S., the Prius made up 40% of hybrid car sales last year. Production ramped up after demand for the eco-friendly car led to waiting lists, and U.S. Prius sales through July 2007 reached 110,565, up from 59,270 for the first seven months of 2006.

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