I agree.... mine was a vast oversimplification. And the fact that the Prime is FWD only should save about $1600, based on the difference between FWD and AWD Prius models in the US. Still, it does suggest the premium for a Prime- or should i say the PRIME-ium- could be significant.
This is probably because the Canadian market is significantly smaller than the US market, so to make up for the loss on economies of scale, it saves them on production costs to offer less options.