Toyota was the first major car company to offer a hybrid car, the Prius and have definitely dominated that category ever since. Marketing gurus have said for some time that it is better to be first in a market than to be best. The Prius is a great modern example of that principle.

Now, the race for the first to have a plug-in car has intensified as Toyota steps up their efforts to get a plug-in into consumers’ hands. However, one wonders if there will really be a winner in terms of “first” with so many charging into this segment.

The Chevy Volt appears to still be on track to be the first – will they gain enough traction before another enters the market to truly take advantage of being first? In this case, I’m skeptical about their chances because of Toyota’s current dominance with Prius and their ramped up efforts to enter the market sooner than previously announced.

The one advantage GM will have is if their Volt is much more affordable to the masses since it appears Toyota’s version will be over-priced (around $33,770) for many US consumers. Let’s hope that the competitive nature of this particular race will force pricing to fit the pocketbooks of a much broader demographic.