I think it’s what people call irony: Just a week or so before Toyota became synonymous with unintended acceleration, it was focusing on the intended kind at the Tokyo Auto Salon. That’s where it gave five of its JDM models the “G Sports” treatment, introducing a new series of products that are “designed for customers who strongly desire to own a unique vehicle, offering them a personalized interior and exterior design along with sports-driving performance.”

And while three of those vehicles will remain solely aimed at the Japanese domestic market, two—the Toyota Prius and coming Toyota FT-86—should hit the U.S. later this year. These two are ideal choices for the U.S., with the new Prius bodykit alone sure to make people reassess their view of the popular Toyota hybrid. As for the FT-86, Toyota’s coming new rear-wheel-drive sports-car, gearheads have been salivating over its style and relatively-low MSRP ever since a concept version showed up at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show. The G Series version shown at theAuto Salon adds a turbocharger into the mix, which should add further excitement into the marketplace.

Volkswagen is using the same strategy with its R division, which will officially launch at Geneva in March and is expected to be a rival to other OEMs’s in-house performance divisions, like BMW’s M group or Mercedes-Benz’ AMG. In fact, VW already offers “R” versions of the VW Golf and Scirocco in Europe, where they both pack 260+ hp.

That Golf is expected to be the first R vehicle to reach U.S. dealerships, starting later this year, and R versions of the latest Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Passat, Volkswagen Eos and Volkswagen CC are under consideration as well.

I know Volkswagen is aiming to drastically boost U.S. sales in the coming years, and these R vehicles should certainly help get things off to a fast start.

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Find more information on what other companies are doing to boost their US Sales.

The 2010 Toyota Prius is a technological marvel to some extent. With a base price of $23K, drivers can expect extreme miles per gallon and will also enjoy riding in a vehicle known for eco-friendliness. But while most accounts of the Toyota Prius seem to be positive overall, some admit that real-world driving puts it in a different light than many mainstream reviews.

For starters the design will either excite or sicken potential buyers. The space-aged styling does make the Prius very aerodynamic which is important for reducing fuel consumption, but the problem is that the design also places instruments out of reach for the driver. In addition, controls take a bit of getting used to as they’re not placed where drivers would expect to find them.

As with many Toyota vehicles these days, the base price appears to be highly competitive, but even when the most common options are added the price can climb quickly according to Bremerton car dealers. As such it’s easy for a Prius to reach well into the mid-$30K range with popular technology and safety options.

Another factor that some buyers may neglect is that the Prius is by no means a driver’s car. Sure high-MPG is an attractive selling point, but after driving the Prius every single day, drivers could become disappointed with lack of responsiveness and rather poor acceleration.

Although the 2010 Toyota Prius lacks some of the positive aspects of many gasoline-powered cars, the Toyota Prius remains the most popular hybrid vehicle on the road nonetheless. The simple reason is that regardless of the car’s shortcomings, the Prius is still priced reasonably and still provides class-leading mileage according to Interstate Toyota. If you can get past its small shortcomings, the Prius is still a great choice for those interested in the environment and in saving on fuel costs.

Despite any shortcoming, Wrentham MA Toyota dealers have a competitive product on their hands that remains the highest selling hybrid on the market. And, chances are, it will stay that way for a long time to come.

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Get the latest on hybrid cars here at Car Biz Buzz.