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Comments
___As for the exact HSD being offered in the Camry in 2 or 3 years, if you think it is going to be the same setup, you are keenly mistaken. The HSD will change even in next years Prius’ let alone the larger capacity version needed for the RX, Highlander (maybe?), and possibly even for the Camry line. By the time it hits the Corolla line, it won’t be the same although I do wish it was offered in the Corolla line at a much cheaper price today given the EPA 51 mpg hwy rating ...
___First you say Toyota is offering strange option choices to create a new category and then you say they will come later because of longer term thinking? It sounds like you don’t know what short or long term is in your own mind? Where do these marketing theories of yours come from anyway? Toyota?
___On another note ... Here is what I don’t understand and I hope someone can come up with factual financial data to explain it. 36,000 04 Prius Hybrid’s are to be built and sold for the US market. I believe John1701a mentioned that 120,000 first generation Prius’ were sold world wide over the last 7 years? Just how long term is Toyota thinking? At this rate, Toyota might hit 200,000 Prius’ sold including those sold in Japan, US, and a minimalist number to Europe over its 8 years of existence. Calculate it out. It costs the average car company over 1 billion USD to create a new car line. Toyota is on its second generation Prius so let’s assume at least 2 billion USD now not even mentioning the new technology that had to be developed? 2 Billion dollars divided up over maybe 140,000 cars sold to date equates to $16,666.66 per car in development costs. This doesn’t include the cost to actually procure the raw or finished materials and build the vehicle. It may include the marketing of the vehicle as well as training both the Toyota certified mechanics and sales personnel of a Toyota dealership that would sell them but not pay a nickel for the vehicle itself ... The numbers aren’t adding up yet Toyota was supposedly profitable on the First generation Prius in the 02 Model year according to some of the facts John1701a was throwing out in earlier posts and other threads? How much “longer term” before Toyota actually makes a profit on their Hybrid program? At a build price of just $3,332, they should have placed all 140,000 Hybrid drive trains in the new Corolla and made a ton of money instead of what appears to be a huge and now continuing long term loss. Oh yes, long term ... Maybe Toyota likes losing as little money as possible and that is why they are building just 36,000 for the United States this year? Something is awfully fishy because no one makes money in the automobile business with a run of 120K + cars over 7 years with this kind of build cost at the price they are charging. I can see some more income coming from the loaded up Prius’ but once you hit $25K, this thing’s TCO is so far out of whack as to be laughable.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
___I found a tidbit of information on what the costs are to develop a new car line here in the US. I have to believe it is just as or possibly even more costly to do the same in Japan ... I pulled this information from a Forbe’s article with an interesting analysis on build costs here:
www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/0527/070.html
Quote: “Christopher Cedergren, head of Los Angeles auto consultancy Nextrend, estimates it costs a U.S. automaker $1.2 billion to develop a new midsize car.”
___Now maybe we can find some factual costs and possible profits for Toyota’s Hybrid development?
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
Re speedometers: Can we get off that now? IF YOU CAN'T STAND DIGITAL SPEEDOMETERS, DON'T BUY A PRIUS. Pretty simple, yes?
Re adjustable (for height) driver's seat: Toyota really goofed big time there, IMO. Not having at least a manual seat height adjuster on a $20k+ car is ridiculous, when you can buy a Kia Rio for under $6k (with rebates) that has a great seat height adjuster. Just like Honda goofed with the '01 Civic. I predict that, like Honda, Toyota will see the error of their ways and will add the seat height adjuster no later than the '05 model year.
Re TCO: The comparison of a Prius to a Corolla that averages 42 mpg is interesting but does not reflect the situation of all buyers. For instance, I will either buy a Prius or a minivan that will average around 18 mpg overall in mostly city driving and will cost at least as much as the Prius to buy. That is a huge advantage for the Prius in gas costs. If I were comparing the Prius to an inexpensive small car like the Corolla or Civic or ECHO that gets great gas mileage, the TCO argument for the Prius would be pretty tough to make I think. Yet not everyone buys a car because it has the best TCO, but for more intangible reasons. Some people, I expect, will buy the Prius because they think it's the coolest thing on four wheels, love the innovative technology, and love the fact that it's probably the "greenest" car you can buy.
Re costs of development and profit: C/D reported in their recent review of the Prius that Toyota did start making a profit on the first-generation Prius late in its run. That seems to indicate that the profit started coming in the '03 model year. Why does it concern you, Mr. Gerdes, that Toyota is pouring lots of money into its hybrid program as a strategic investment? Toyota earned a profit on its very first production hybrid vehicle. They learned a lot from that experience and applied that experience to the 2nd-gen Prius, which is a fairly inexpensive vehicle compared to the average sales prices of cars nowdays. Soon Toyota will be selling SUVs and more expensive cars with hybrid systems--vehicles with much larger price tags and profit margins. Toyota will be able to apply what they learned on the Prius to those vehicles, and will be able to offer consumers a full range of hybrids that should be unmatched. They will then have a huge advantage over other automakers, e.g. able to offer an SUV with the power of a V8 and the mpg of a compact car. How much money do you think Toyota will make on those vehicles? I think it will be a lot.
*ALL* vehicles Toyota offers are upgraded every few years... or haven't you noticed all the new Corolla, new Siennas, and new Camrys. Prius will get upgraded too. Why would you think Prius would be any different?
> First you say Toyota is offering strange option
> choices to create a new category and then you say
> they will come later because of longer term thinking?
This time, you've twisted what I've said to such an extreme I don't even want to bother trying to straighten it out. Just stop trying to intermix HSD with offered features.
> Just how long term is Toyota thinking?
10 years to evolve the hybrid market from introduction to common. And it sure looks like they are right on track too.
> How much “longer term” before
What's the rush? ...especially since Toyota is currently cranking out large profits while the other automakers are struggling to just get by.
Our president feels it's perfectly acceptable to wait 16 years for fuel-cell vehicles to be available. How come waiting just 3 years from HSD (the first modular designed hybrid system) introduction to having several vehicles using it isn't fast enough?
Patience.
JOHN
> technology with the Prius. I am proud to be a part of this
> history. People who are trying to rationalize with dollars
> and cents NEED NOT APPLY.
An interesting comparison to that is the fact that consumers are now purchasing notebook computers in very large quantities, despite the fact that they are clearly more expensive and you can't reuse the monitor after the computer becomes outdated.
The new market for portables is developing nicely. Cost quite simply is not on the top of the priority list anymore. It's been bumped down a notch or two.
Prius is much the same way. People want something radically improved and are more than happy to pay for it.
It's time to abandon the old-school logic and take a closer look at how different things are now.
JOHN
Toyota is gonna make BILLIONS off this deal.
___The comparison of the Corolla LE w/ Auto to a Prius is the exact situation I am living with. Since I am averaging a bit above 42 mpg, I think I could squeeze 53 + on the hwy out of the Prius as well. You must have missed that in my $ to $ fuel cost comparison?
___As far as development costs are concerned, John1701a mentioned that 2002 was the year the Prius became profitable. After thinking about it, it just didn’t make sense given all that I know of the automobile industry. Does it to you? Why would a corporation say a car line is profitable when from my understanding it more then likely is not? This profit/loss per car may have something to do with the low production runs? A company the size of Toyota can easily manufacture a hundred thousand of any automobile with a simple yes from a high level management individual. The Corolla is. The Camry is. I think Toyota is actually losing money per vehicle or the spigots would be opened as is the case with almost every one of their other car lines? Why would anyone with a profitable vehicle only build 36,000 for one of its primary markets and/or hold back supply on purpose? It cannot be a manufacturing issue, can it? I thought I had read somewhere that the Corolla and Prius are built on the same line with a few tool changes is all? I don’t know Mr. Backy, something just doesn’t sound right to me and I am very interested in the answer?
___As for the size and such, it most certainly is not the size of a Camry or Accord. Take the 04 Prius and make it a sedan. Guess what size it is? It’s a compact. Make the Accord or Camry a Sedan (I forgot, they are sedan’s) and they are still classified a mid-size according to the EPA. We have been over this already ...
___Djasonw, if you would have read some of the past posts in this thread, you would have seen it’s the TCO that is keeping me from considering the 04 Prius. If you think those rationalizing the Dollar’s and Cents is not part of the equation, then why would anyone care if the Prius receives 51on the hwy and 60 in the city? PZEV’s are available for ~ $11K so that should satisfy the green only purchasers. I just still cannot believe Toyota with the ability to change the world with this great technology is wasting the opportunity with an overly high priced car line in such a small quantity? All this patience non-sense coming from John1701a while US soldiers are dying over in Iraq and Afghanistan, innocents are dying in the streets of Israel, terrorists and innocents are dying in the streets of Syria and Israel, Saudi terrorists are planning the next attacks on the US and its allies etc ... simply makes me mad! To bad the US government is dumping money hand over fist into Fuel Cell development when Hybrid’s can solve 3/4 of today’s problems today instead of 7/8 of our problems 20 + years from now? All Toyota has to do is get on with it and place the Hybrid drive train into the Corolla line this year. Charge $2,000 more for it and you will sell hundreds of thousands of Hybrid based Corolla’s this year, not a slew of Hybrid drive trains in a multitude of vehicles over the next 5 to 10 years. 36,000 Prius’ won’t make a dent. 250,000 Hybrid Corolla’s most certainly would
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
How can you possibly assign a label like "modest" to a LIMITED production vehicle?
100 PERCENT of the Prius built were sold, and with very little effort.
There simply was not a large enough quantity available to place judgment like that. That isn't Toyota's strategy anyway. Instead, focus will be placed on HSD. It will be available in several hybrid vehicles.
JOHN
> build 36,000 for one of its primary markets and/or
> hold back supply on purpose?
TRAINING SALESPEOPLE.
TRAINING MECHANICS.
TRAINING CONSUMERS.
Just take a quick survey on how many people still think hybrids need to be plugged in, hybrids are slow, and hybrids have a limited travel range. Misunderstandings can create a negative backlash at terrifying speeds. And of course, building a reputation takes time. (Hint: You actually have to wait for the owners to drive +200,000 miles first.)
That's why.
> while US soldiers are dying
Thank you for giving them the credit they've earned. However, the person that just bought a monster-sized SUV instead of a normal size one doesn't feel the same way.
JOHN
As for when the Prius became profitable, all I know is what I read in C/D about it. They referenced a Toyota source. Maybe John can remind us who his source was about the Prius becoming profitable in the '02 model year. As for the "limited" numbers of the previous-gen Prius, remember it was the first of its kind. Toyota is, as I understand it, a conservative company. It is very understandable that they would start their hybrid program with a small production run, to test the market. Why jump in with large numbers of cars before you know how they will sell? Also, IMO the first Prius was not nearly as marketable at the new one. It was a compact car selling for almost twice what other good compact cars could be purchased. The TCO was not even close. Now with the new, larger Prius, with even better mpg, the TCO becomes more interesting--not a slam-dunk, especially for people in your situation, but more interesting for more people. Based on the strong initial acceptance of the new Prius, Toyota should be expected to increase production over the previous generation. I've read a first-year production number of 60,000--that's a lot more than for the previous-generation car. I've also read that over 12,000 have already been purchased--not bad considering the car just debuted this month. So whether or not the TCO of the Prius is compelling to you is a personal decision you have to make, but it doesn't justify calling the executives of Toyota liars. And if we could keep global politics out of the discussion, I'd appreciate that also.
As for size, it is a useless exercise to "make" the Prius a sedan. It's a hatchback, and the hatchback adds a lot of space and utility to the car that some buyers--like me--value greatly. Utility not offered by cars like the Accord and Camry. Frankly, I don't care what the EPA classifies the Prius as. What I care about is, does it have enough room for my needs? I think the answer to that is "yes", but I'm not 100% there yet until the whole family climbs in for a long ride.
If I were you, I wouldn't wait for Toyota to put the synergy drive into the Corolla this year. What would be the value of that to Toyota, when they've already rolled out the Prius--a car designed from the ground-up as a hybrid? They could make more money putting their resources into hybrid SUVs--which Toyota has said is its next move.
>TRAINING SALESPEOPLE. TRAINING MECHANICS.TRAINING CONSUMERS.
___You don’t think training a workforce for the new Corolla, new Camry, new Sienna, new 4Runner, 01-03 Prius wasn’t needed? How much more training is needed? As for the consumer, apparently, enough know about the Prius to sell every one they can produce according to your previous edicts. What other consumers needs to be taught? You place a sign on the automobile stating 60 mpg City and the consumer will learn all about it on his own and that includes the ignorant ones that believe it is supposed to be plugged in!
>However, the person that just bought a monster-sized SUV instead of a normal size one doesn't feel the same way.
___Yes. Now let Toyota make a Corolla LE Hybrid for $17,000 and watch 250,000 to 300,000 sell next year! Neither of us can stop those wanting to purchase clean or otherwise small, mid-size, or large SUV’s but we can persuade people to purchase a vehicle that makes sense for the environment, our country (oil dependency problem), and makes sense financially. The Prius is missing the last leg of this Triad and won’t make a difference unless Toyota does the right thing and instead, builds the $17,000 Corolla HSD Hybrid with its 60 mpg in the city/49-50 mpg on the hwy and its PZEV rating in huge quantities.
___Backy, I agree with almost everything you said but I don’t believe I said any Toyota exec’s were liars. I just mentioned that the numbers don’t appear to add up to me and that is possibly why the low numbers of Prius’ are being produced. As far as keeping the politics out, if they weren’t involved, I don’t think anyone here would care if the new Prius received 20 mpg or 60 mpg in the city ...
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
>>
PRICES SHOWN ARE THOSE DISTRIBUTED BY TOYOTA MOTOR SALES USA- THESE PRICES ARE NOT VALID IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, GEORGIA, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, MISSISSIPPI, TEXAS, LOUISIANA AND OKLAHOMA
*********************************************
PACKAGE #1 (Code: RW)
Includes rear intermittent window wiper. $180
PACKAGE #2 (Code: GY)
Includes driver/front passenger side & curtain airbags. $650
PACKAGE #3 (Code: AF)
Includes rear intermittent window wiper, driver/front passenger
side airbags, front/rear curtain airbags. $830
PACKAGE #4 (Code: AG)
Includes rear intermittent window wiper, security alarm,
Homelink garage door opener, smart keyless entry system. $1100
PACKAGE #5 (Code: AI)
Includes rear intermittent window wiper, driver/front passenger
side airbags, front/rear curtain airbags, security alarm, Homelink
garage door opener, JBL premium AM/FM cassette/ 6-disc in-
dash CD changer w/ (9) speakers. $1920
PACKAGE #6 (Code: BI)
Includes rear intermittent window wiper, driver/front passenger
side & curtain airbags, smart keyless entry system. $1280
PACKAGE #7 (Code: AM)
Includes rear intermittent window wiper, driver/front passenger
side airbags, front/rear curtain airbags, smart keyless entry system,
vehicle skid control (VSC), fog lamps, HID headlamps. $2255
PACKAGE #8 (Code: BG)
Includes rear intermittent window wiper, smart keyless entry
system, GPS navigation, JBL premium AM/FM cassette/ 6-disc in-
dash CD changer w/ (9) speakers. $3150
PACKAGE #9 (Code: BC)
Includes rear intermittent window wiper, driver/front passenger
side airbags, front/rear curtain airbags, smart keyless entry system,
security alarm, Homelink garage door opener, GPS navigation,
JBL premium AM/FM cassette/ 6-disc in-dash CD changer w/
(9) speakers, vehicle skid control (VSC), fog lamps, HID
Headlamps. $5245
STANDARD PAINT $0
SPECIAL COLOR PAINT Code: PC $220
DRIVER & PASSENGER SIDE- IMPACT AIRBAGS Code: BE $250
CRUISE CONTROL Code: CL $250
NAVIGATION SYSTEM Code: NV $1900
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS Code: RL $40
PREFERRED ACCESSORY PKG - inc: 5- piece carpet floor/ trunk mat set, cargo net, glass breakage sensor, first aid kit (PPO) *NET* Code: Z1 $372
COMPACT DISC DECK (PPO) Code: P5 $335
6- DISC IN- DASH COMPACT DISC CHANGER (PPO) Code: P6 $589
CARGO NET (PPO) Code: GN $49
5- PIECE CARPET FLOOR/ TRUNK MAT SET (PPO) Code: CF $145
CARGO LOGIC TOTE (PPO) Code: 9G $49
FIRST AID KIT (PPO) Code: 3Z $29
GLASS BREAKAGE SENSOR (PPO) Code: V2 $149
ALLOY WHEEL LOCKS (PPO) Code: WL $59
>>
>>
PRICES SHOWN ARE THOSE DISTRIBUTED BY TOYOTA MOTOR SALES USA- THESE PRICES ARE NOT VALID IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, GEORGIA, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, MISSISSIPPI, TEXAS, LOUISIANA AND OKLAHOMA
*********************************************
AUTO DIMMING REARVIEW MIRROR (N/A w/ GY
Package 2) (PPO) Code: N1 $265
V.I.P. SECURITY UPGRADE (N/A w/ Package
4 (AG), Package 5 (AI), or Package 9 (BC) (PPO) Code: V5 $249
REAR BUMPER APPLIQUE (PPO) Code: EF $65
Really. Think about it.
I've read many of the posts here and he goes out of his way to respond to any negative opinions and comments about the 2004 Prius, point by belabored point-- to the point of absurdity in some cases. Who has the time to spend their day responding to every negative opinion on this board?
I think it's time for "JOHN" to come clean and tell us who "he" really is, who "he" works for (Toyota PR?), and where "he" gets all his rebuttal information from? Part insider stats, part rhetoric, and all spun in favor of Toyota. He is stifling all reasonable debate and should be banned from the board.
Edmunds.com has a responsibility to investigate posters who are obvious car company PR employees-- especially when they attempt to skew reasonable debate on these boards.
The only rebuttal I will accept from "JOHN" to this post is an admission of "his" true identity, who "he" works for, how much "he" gets paid for doing this, and where "he" gets his information from.
I now own a 2004 Prius and have driven 349 miles with it.
I have actively participated online for over 3 years now and have withstood every attack on my character that has come along. There are lots of people that have something to lose by hybrids being successful.
I have organized several hybrid gatherings and traveled on a 1,200 mile hybrid road rally. They all gave me a ton of reassurance that I should continue trying to clear up the misinformation spread online.
I get stopped in parking lots all the time by people curious about my Prius. When that happens, I share a bunch of printed materials a group of owners helped to created and show off the car a bit. That provides a constant stream of positive feedback, much different from here.
TO RAISE AWARENESS has always been my motto. Saying that at every in person encounter helps a bunch to quickly eliminate any belief that I work for Toyota. I'm really just a website programmer with a passion for digital photography. And by looking at my website, you'd see that. But I rarely mention that out of respect for Edmunds. Their participation policy clearly states personal promotion is inappropriate. So I don't usually do it. But in this case, you forced me to.
I'd like to move on to discussing actual driving experiences with my 2004 Prius now. Can we do that? Or are we going to continue to fixate on TCO and ergonomics?
JOHN
The dealer never called me so yesterday I asked my local dealer where my car was. Even though the VIN was on the bill of sale, they sold mine to someone else! If I even get delivery before the end of the year, their CEO is going to get more than an earful.
PO'd in Portland,OR
And only those with more money than sense can ignore economics.
Please remember - we are here to discuss, attack, praise, debate the car not the people.
Let's keep civility in check. Agree to disagree. Move on.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Great idea! As of right now, that's about the only concern that's keeping me out of a Prius! Any long trips in the 2004 Prius yet? (say 2 hours or more)? How comfortable were the seats? Driving position? Did the engine noise intrude into the cabin more than is comfortable? (It seems to me that it would, but because there seemed to be virtually no wind noise on my short test drive) How was the road noise? It seemed a bit load to me, but that could be solved with different tires maybe? How's the GPS nav system working out? Does the voice control work without training, or... (in case you hadn't figured from my "handle", I have a critical/professional interest, as I write the on-board software for the new GPS birds ;-)
I've driven only 374 miles so far. But once break-in is complete (600 miles), I'd like to go for a long driving trip.
50.3 MPG what the Multi-Display shows. That is ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE when you take into account that are the parts are still a little tight and the temperature is only averaging 40F degrees. (My 2001 Prius was never able to achieve efficieny that good in the cold.)
> engine noise
The Prius is even more sound insulated than the previous. But now that I have such a nice audio system, music is all I hear anyway. I'd have to say it is in the "acceptable" range without having an actual meter available to quantify the level numerically.
> How's the GPS nav system working out?
It's rather addicting. There's a ton of options available.
> Does the voice control work without training
Yup! In fact, I was rather surprised that it perfectly understood my first few requests. They were "next disc", "next track", "67 degrees", and "I'm hungry".
JOHN
It shows you on the map all the nearby restaurants and fastfood places.
Then you can press on one for further information about the place and tell the system to verbally provide directions to it as you drive.
JOHN
are somewhat inflated when compared to regular vehicles. I currrently have a 2003 VW
Jetta GL/5-speed/ TurboCharged Diesel, that with 27,500 miles my overall average
MPG is 55.3. Percentages are 75 highway and about 25% city driving. I drive conversatively
but keep up with the regular flow of traffic. Note: My EPA is 50Hwy and 42 city and I have
never ever received mileage below 44 MPG even when breaking in.
I am curious if the 2004 Prius has this trait or the 55MPG average is right on track with
real world driving. I did drive the Prius 2004 model a week ago and I noticed that the average
MPG on the display was only 36.9 MPG. This is in Beaverton Oregon just east of Portland Oregon which would be mostly city driving. I would have expected more.
I do like the hybrid principal and would probably have purchased the 2004 Hybrid if it was availiable last year when I purchased my VW. I was not impressed with the looks and
feel of the 2003 model Prius.
Just my thoughts
Thanks
Alster2
Thanks, Tony.
Another way is to press the INFO button (which is for the "Energy" and "Consumption" screens) in the same locations.
You can do it on the Multi-Display itself too.
JOHN
So, if I turn off NAV system, will voice commands for audio and temp. work?
From what I've read, prior to saying the commands, I will need to press the voice command button on the steering wheel and wait for a beep correct?
Toyota Rent A Car
working URLs (most were so old that the articles
were no longer archived... or aren't allowed on
an Edmunds' board)
message # 389 on this board.
mrvadeboncoeur Sep 18, 2003 2:07pm
> for audio and temp. work?
Yes.
> I will need to press the voice command button on the
> steering wheel and wait for a beep correct?
The voice button is very easy to feel for on the steering-wheel.
When you press it, any audio playing will temperarily stop. At that moment, you can actually begin to speak. The beep doesn't occur until a second after the music being silenced (otherwise you might not notice it).
JOHN
:-(
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
"Daysailer" - With regards to "Paying" for a test drive via TRAC: Since my wife and I are make such a big purchase, we both want a few days with the car to make sure it meets our expectations (this coming weekend will be very interesting). I have no problem spending $100 in rental fees for a few days to get a better feel for the car before I put down $20,000+ to purchase the car. Just my personal opinion. By the way, I am on the waiting list for a Prius and my deposit is refundable if I chage my mind.
right now.
Fill out a "rental" agreement, and you get a free
test drive.
If you want it for a day+, then you have to pay.
Should you decide to buy the Prius, the cost of
the rental that you paid is deducted off of the
final price of the Prius.
Westboro Toyota, MA
sad thing is, many dealers that got demo cars decided
to sell them, and often for over MSRP. MSRP is
about the going rate, or even discounts at some
dealers. I know that the test drive tends to be
the deciding factor on many Prius purchases, which
is why I think it sad that some dealers aren't
keeping demos around to help sell the vehicle...
original US production allotment of 36,000 units
has now increased to 41,000 units for the 2004 Prius.
I just wish that they'd ship them here sooner!
But, the home market has also seen a high demand
for the new 2004, so hopefully they've increased
production all around, and not just borrowed from
one market to help the other...
to put the US allotment into perspective, the
total number of Prius sold in the US, going by
the sales numbers posted each month on
http://pressroom.toyota.com/ , from US launch to
Sept. 31, 2003, was 52,170 units.
Toyota is thinking of adding a 3rd shift temporarily
to boost Prius production. So far they've had to
add in Saturday work and overtime to try and keep
up with home market demand.
If there was a category for intangibles, though, I have no doubt that Prius would win it.
Thanks for the tip Sylvia!
I called Toyota customer service today. Result:
-they will 'suggest' to the dealer to use all their resources to find a vehicle in timely fashion.
-they will refund $500 to me upon a copy of my bill of sale at delivery, up to one year, for being a loyal Toyota buyer!!
Now that's a great company policy.
The dealer has offered no perks.