The Prius That Shook.. - VFAQ Prius Site

Building the sales structure
Meanwhile, the sales division was engaged in a heated
discussion trying to decide which sales channel
should sell the Prius. Toyota's auto sales were divided among
five sales channels: Toyota Channel, Toyopet Channel,
Corolla Channel, Auto Channel (Netz Channel starting
August 1998), and Vista Channel.
In 1946, when dealerships that had sold Toyota cars from
the pre-war period reached nationwide, the Toyota Channel
was founded. Since then, as new models were introduced and
the number increased, more dealerships opened. Toyopet
Channel followed in 1956; Publica Channel, the predecessor
to Corolla Channel, in 1961; Auto Channel in 1967; and
Vista Channel in 1980. Toyota's sales structure
encompassing 309 dealerships and 5,000 outlets was
established.
This strong sales structure, which gave birth to the
phrase, "Nissan of technology; Toyota of sales," was vital to
support Toyota's strong sales division. During the era of
rapid growth, quantity was an advantage, and Toyota's
market share grew.
However, in 1996, immediately before the launch of Prius,
the traditional structure was suffering from many forms of
fatigue. Toyota's sibling models were competing against each
other and resulted in discount wars. Dealerships were no
longer paying attention to services, such as compulsory
auto inspection, which is another
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