According to Toyota, the newest member of its Prius family of hybrids, the Yaris-sized Prius C, is off to an extremely good start since going on sale in the States on March 12.

In its first three days on the market, the Prius C sold 1,201 units, with Toyota making it a point to note that it surpassed the combined sales of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf for the entire month of February. In other related news, our local grocery disclosed that it sold more apples in an hour than Prius C in a day.

Needless to say, the name of the PR game is to make your accomplishments appear bigger than what they really are while seriously downplaying your failures.

It would be more appropriate for Toyota to wait to compare the sales of its plug-in Prius, which is closer in price and to a certain extent, in philosophy (it only does 15 miles in EV mode) to Nissan’s all-electric Leaf and GM’s extended range Chevrolet Volt.

“A number of factors drive the auto market, and fuel prices is one of them,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division. “With 53 miles-per-gallon in the city and priced under $19,000, the timing for Prius c couldn’t be better.”

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