http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4e45dfee-43cf-11de-a9be-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

Toyota dealers in Japan received 80,000 orders for the latest version of the carmaker’s Prius petrol-electric hybrid ahead of its official launch on Monday, a much higher volume than expected as the company had cut prices to fend off a challenge from its emerging green-car rival Honda.

The enthusiastic response to the third-generation Prius, which Toyota will begin selling outside Japan in a few weeks, appeared likely to propel it to the top of the domestic sales rankings – a feat achieved for the first time by a hybrid last month, when Honda’s revived Insight became Japan’s best-selling full-size car.

fend off かわす

propel 〈…を〉推進する，進ませる

feat 偉業