It is targeted to steal potential Volt buyers that want higher MPG using regular gas. A car that ride and handle better than Prius. A car that doesn't cost as much as the Volt and without the hassle of plugging in. Luxury interior and the badge is just icing on the cake.
Is now the time to admit that I might be the target audience? If I were buying new today, I would definitely buy the CT, mainly because of the much more luxurious seats and ride, slightly better handling, the HDD Nav, and the dual zone AC (for the wife). The difference between a fully tricked out CT and a fully tricked out Prius V is approximately $5,169, and would be worth every penny to me. I kind of like the compactness of the CT and don't need the larger size of the Prius. I understand that $39,000 is an insane amount of money to spend on a car, but people do worse every day. If I don't care about power, and do care about hybrids and luxury, I'm not seeing a better alternative. I'd love to hear about it if there is a moderately priced luxury plug-in coming from any company.
ggood, can't go wrong with either car...the CT is definitely more plush than the Prius...the Prius is a great all around car tho...can haul the family and make a trip to Costco as well...haha
