[AutoGuide.com]

When I called Toyota's new Aqua / Prius C affordable compact hybrid first a "gamechanger", then an "engineering feat," this attracted the attention of self-styled jargon vigilantes. They demanded equal platitudes to be bestowed on domestic models. In the meantime, the Japanese game changer threatens to change Toyota's best laid plans: It sells ten times better than expected.

Someone at Toyota told The Nikkei [sub] today that the company "received about 120,000 orders for its new Aqua compact hybrid between its Dec. 26 release and Jan. 31, 10 times the monthly sales target of 12,000 vehicles." Toyota markets the car as the Aqua in Japan. In the U.S. and other markets, it will be called Prius C.

These orders go on an already big pile. When the car was formally launched on December 26 in Tokyo, Toyota "had received orders for 60,000 Aqua hybrid cars ahead of its launch," says the Wall Street Journal. At that time, the waiting period for the car after an order was placed was said to be four months.

More: Toyota Drowns In Orders For Game Changing Engineering Feat Prius C on TheTruthAboutCars.com