Toyota Prius Family: Toyota Prius Family Currently slated for production in first half of 2012. Price lower than Gen 3 with better mileage.
Been reading many of the recent threads about the increasing price of Prius in light of dwindling supply, rising gas prices, and growing demand. Well, I'm afraid perhaps I made a mistake NOT buying my Prius a year ago. It may turn out The Prius c...becomes the hybrid I can afford. With standard Prius II's and III's rapidly heading upwards in price. I currently own a Honda Fit...so I don't mind the smaller size. But The Fit is versatile in offering good cargo capacity. I think The Prius c, could be a great vehicle for myself, but I hope it's not so small or spartan, that it's not viable as anything but a short distance High MPG commuter... I really would have no qualms if it could be much like The Fit...while offering high MPG, hybrid realities...to me? That would be great... But I may look back in a year or two and opine that I made a mistake not buying a "regular" Prius when one could of been had for $23,000, since I think that reality is rapidly vanishing... Not really having the access to a garage, I'm also really psyched about the potential efficency. Since a plug in, just isn't viable for me at this time. I personally hope this is a good product. I wish Toyota would of worked to release it first before the Prius v...I'd of liked to see smaller and more efficient before bigger but less efficient....
No doubt it was a great price but these things are products of technology and it invariably gets cheaper, even if there is a blip or two for a while. If I could lease another prius at the rate I got mine a year back, though, I'd really pressure my wife to let me do it.
Yikes, I winced when I read the bit about being too small or spartan that it's not viable as anything but a short distance High MPG commuter... I think you meant to say it was not "fit" to be anything but a short distance high MPG commuter. No disrespect intended, but that is how I consider the Fit, as too small and spartan etc. But to be fair, the Gen III is still a little too spartan for my tastes.
That's okay. I don't take it personally. When I bought my Fit, it was because the vehicle I was driving was reaching the point where it was no longer viable without considerable investment. I bought The Fit, because I wanted to buy new, and had some reservations about buying the first model year of The Prius. Along with what I foresee as a lot of change and hopefully options coming down the line the next few years. Given current events, I have some regrets that I didn't just buy a Prius a year ago, when they were relatively cheap...and plentiful. But I like my Honda Fit. It's not really fair I think to offer it as comparison to The Prius. I don't. But for what it is, which is a ICE sub-compact, it's a great vehicle. In the meantime, I like it, and have reliable transportation and "hopefully" the world wide economy will improve, as well as Japans recovery...and perhaps I can consider in a year...the Prius c. I've been hanging around Prius Chat since I started my research for my next vehicle. I've watched build up, the release, and the recent history of the Generation 3 Prius. Even with supply and demand creating a perfect storm of higher Prius values...I don't see their purchase cost going down significantly... My guess would be the release of an "entry level" or cheaper full hybrid would only cement Prius higher on the rung as far as cost. I'll definently be taking a look at the Prius c...I own a Fit...and I like it...but owning a Fit doesn't stop me from anything...my options are still open. Don't underestimate The Fit...Honda did a lot right in the design. That's why I'm hoping Toyota follows a similar lead...and adds HSD.
The Fit was introduced in the 2007 model year, and the Prius was introduced in the 2001 model year, at least in the US, I think. I am not sure how you could have purchased a Fit instead of the first model year of the Prius. Hmmmmm. The Prius is a mid-size, while the Fit is a sub-compact as you say, so they are not so comparable. The Fit is probably more fun to drive. In any event, I think the C might be for you when it comes out. Lower price than the current model and better mileage to boot. Economies come and go. Microsoft Excel should never have added a Trend Line since investors think it goes on forever if MS says so. Japan will recover, Toyota manufacturing will recover, and the economy will go into an up-cycle. And if everyone keeps buying hybrids, gas prices will go down. =)
Well, I'm talking latest incarnations of each vehicle respectively. The Fit has been sold around the world in mass quantity. The latest incarnation of The Fit had been sold for a year, at the time of my purchase, and unlike The Prius, inwhich with beltless engine, redesigned powertrain and heat reclamation system, I thought the degree of change between both incarnations less severe with The Fit. With some minor blips, the Gen 3 Prius seems to be doing very well, with the most interesting issue so far being the hard to track down and pin point, intermittent rough engine start. As I said, I do have some regrets, especially going into this Summer that I did not simply buy a Prius a year ago. But not severe enough for me to make a change. My only reason for commenting in this thread, was not to discuss the merits or drawbacks of The Honda Fit, in so much as just to offer my opinion that economy, tragedy in Japan aside, I don't see the price of (original) Prius going down overall the next few years.
They're having a tough enough time getting people to downsize into regular Prius let alone something smaller. Many drive big cars because there are a lot of SUV's and big vehicles on the road, driving at high speed, and they're afraid to get crunched in a tiny car. The other thing is a lot of people just don't drive a ton of miles. Some just look at 'how much do I spend on gas'. If it's acceptable, doesn't matter what they are driving. And they're not going to buy a green car 'just because', because they don't believe in climate change. And they think oil is easy to get, or they don't care, just give them the gas. Sorry to say, but that's the way it is with many people. Americans are in transition. Some 'get it', others not yet. With that, I think Toyota is right on point bringing the v out first. 40 MPG not bad at all. If you can get people from 25 MPG midsize sedans (the staple family car) to 40 MPG Prius v, they save 6 gallons per 400 mile fillup, or 37% saved. That's good.
I wonder what platform is the Prius C based on. Is it using the same platform used by the current Verso S/Ractis mini-MPV?
I expect the v's coming first because it's a smaller change. Even with the drop it'll be the most efficient wagon for those who are at the standard mix, even if highway warriors are likely to be better off in a SportWagen TDi. But I'm more interested to see how the c does. There's growth in the B segment: Versa's a little down, but the Fiesta has taken off, the Soul Sucker was number 2 last month and the Fit's back up.
Many younger folk attracted to smaller cars can't afford the hybrid premium. In that sense, Toyota has a tough time getting people to upsize to the Prius. The Prius c may be the entry point for them. I know a lot of people not in the Prius demographic don't drive it simply because it is out of their price range. College students mostly use their cars to run errands, or have a very short commute, and a lower mpg vehicle is fine for that. Most cars bought are used (a new car can only be sold once). People are buying the 16k vehicles, with discounts the OTD may be $15-$16k. The break-even point is still something like 70-90k miles, with gas @ $4.50.
This kills me every time I read it. The Gen3 is absolutely *massive*. To call it a compact or mid-size is a joke! It's one of the only things I hate about the car, that it's too large... like driving a frickin' boat around. The c is gonna be great. -Iain
I don't compare Corollas, Matrix, Elantra, Civic, etc, etc to the regular Prius. Matrix could be somewhat compared to regular Prius, but Matrix does not have Smart Key system, no push button start, less seating room, lower grade seats and interior and of course no Hybrid Synergy Drive. No such thing as 'hybrid premium' for Prius. It's a Prius and other compacts don't compare.
Of course, I'm talking only about myself. But I generally disagree. Nothing against the Prius v...but I think the market for a small SUPER mpg hybrid such as the Prius c, could be huge. I'd site the success of small hatch-backs like The Fit, and Fords Festiva, as well as Volkswagen Golf... I've been lucky enough to have done some traveling. What I saw in Europe, were families often having 2 vehicles...one small and very efficient that was used the majority of the time, for work, and as much as possible...and often a mid-size vehicle or larger...for times when it HAD to be used, transporting the team, or family road trips. If you can make a fun to drive, high mpg car, with enough utility to be useable in a lot if not all situations (such as The Fit) then I think you will sell a lot of them. Imagine a fun to drive hatchback that gets 60mpg! I'm in! I think a lot of people will be... Where if your looking for a family vehicle? I'm not sure 40mpg...at best...sways me from looking at the numerous options that already exist in other ICE forms...
