don't despair
My car broker told me she has seen this happen many times. It happened with the new Beetle, the PT Cruiser, the Mini Cooper and now with the Prius. In every instance, demand initially outpaced production and people were paying way over retail for cars. There was massive angst, wringing of hands, cursing of greedy dealers, dealers acting like food vendors at a fasting marathon. Within a few months for some models, maybe a year for others, production matched demand and prices came down. Now you can get deals on Beetles, Pt Cruisers (maybe not the ragtop yet) and Coopers.
Toyota is hardly stupid. They know, certainly by now, that they have a winner and are ramping up production. I've been seeing more Prii in Seattle lately and one of my coworkers saw upwards of 20 on a weekend in his eco-saavy neighborhood. Toyota has indicated that all their cars will be available in hybrid form within three years. For the present, it's a dealer greedfest, and the greediest are spending their capital too soon; their customer base isn't coming back, while dealers who treat customers with a modicum of respect, will get future business. I was told this by the dealer from whom I bought my car. He's been in the business for 25 years.
Granted, it's tough if you need to replace your car now; but if you can wait, it's worth the wait.
p.s. the folks who spent 30k for a Prius will feel pretty silly a few months. Should they decide to sell their Prius or trade it if for a newer model, that extra cash they paid out will prove to have been a total waste of money.