A peek into Toyota's plans to sell the Mirai hydrogen car

The pieces are really starting to fall into place for the big launch of the Toyota Mirai in the US. The pricing and fuel economy ratings are already announced for the fuel cell-powered sedan, and dealers start taking the first orders from them on July 20. That only leaves the wait until the first examples roll into eight California showrooms in October. The head of at least one location thinks the store might even be turning some people away.

"With everything else on my lot, I'm selling something. It's what I do," Mike Sullivan of Toyota Santa Monica, one of the Mirai dealers, said to Automotive News. "This car is the exact opposite. It's the reverse of selling. We're going to turn people down if this isn't the car for you."

Toyota understands that the Mirai isn't necessarily the perfect car for everyone at this point. Its 312-mile range is impressive, but the H2 refueling infrastructure is still lacking. Customers need to know what they're getting.

Of course, most people with an early interest in the Mirai are expected to be quite well informed. "They're going to come in educated, and the customer experience for this product is very important to the dealers and Toyota. We have to get it right the first time." Ed LaRocque, the company's national marketing manager for the Mirai, said to Automotive News.

Dealers are taking the duty to present the fuel cell sedan seriously. Sullivan even intends to build a hydrogen filling station at his store for customers and a dedicated service bay, according to Automotive News. Toyota also wants to keep up with dealer training even after the launch.

While this launch is hugely important, Toyota is keeping its goals modest. Total sales are expected to top just 3,000 units by the end of 2017. Even by 2025, there are only predicted to be about 10,800 hydrogen vehicles in general across the Northeast.

Related Video:

Featured Gallery2016 Toyota Mirai: LA 2014
Source