when some said in this forum, while it was still called Toyota 2008, that Toyota wouldn't take a loss and no one would get laid off. Like the Guy from Toyota said, never say never.
I'm sorry but that's impossible. Unless your daily trip is under 5 min no one can possibly get 30 mpg in a Prius. It's physically impossible to get a number that low.
By your post I doubt that you actually do own one. If you do own one I promise that I can take YOUR vehicle and show you how to immediately get 48 mpg in YOUR Prius for as long as you want me to drive it.
They have been all over Canada, MN, SD, ND, CO and AK since they came out. There is nothing unusual one way or the other. Use snow tires in snow. That's about the only 'precaution'.
The JY/USD rate of 90:1, until a new rate is agreed upon, will put a temporary halt to 4Runner, Land Cruiser ( tiny ), GX470, LX570, LS and most other Lexus shipments from Japan. Yaris, Scion and Prius sales will also be affected. Corolla, Camry, Sienna, Avalon, IS, RAV, Matrix, Tacoma, Tundra, Sequoia and soon Highlander sales will not be affected at all since nearly all of them are produced here.
Well the RAV4 isn't produced here, and if they are going to keep on shipping those over I think they would do the same with all the Lexus models and the Land Cruiser, which sell at much bigger profits than the RAV4 does.
OTOH, I would think they could stop shipping the Prius immediately, thereby avoiding the exchange rate losses they may be incurring and giving the bloated inventory already on U.S. shores a chance to sell out gradually until the new model is ready in 6 months' time. This is an old model now, and it's less competitive than it was without even considering that gas at $1.70/gallon gives people a lot less incentive to seek them out.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
There have only been a few cars in all the years I have followed the industry that I never warmed up to. Sometimes it has been because they didn't deliver on their advertised promise but every once in a while it was because they were designed in such a way that they offended my eyes much like alum offends peoples taste buds., the Aztec, the early Tribeca, the xB and the Prius. The Aztec is gone, the Tribeca had to be redesigned early so it wouldn’t scare children the xB may be even uglier now than it was and the Prius was designed simply to be ugly so people would know what the owner was driving. I am not dancing in the street to see Prius sales flat or falling but if everyone one rusted to the ground to be replaced with a less offensive vehicle even by Toyota I wouldn’t shed a tear. My wife is by no means a car nut nor does she pay much attention to what a car looks like. But from the very beginning when I pointed out the Prius hybrid to her she asked a question I have heard hundreds of times from different non car people, “is there a law that says to get good mileage a car has to be ugly?” The answer is no, but from the Prius you would never guess. They truth is the car was designed to allow a particular segment of our society a chance to pat themselves on the back and get even with all of those who took their lunch money in school.
I don’t think they can cut off shipment that quickly. Industry, even Toyota, is a bit more like a ship or a train once it starts moving. The rise in gas prices was slow and steady and they ramped up production based on an idea that people would flock to cars like the Prius as long as both gas prices and the economy held together. The fall was so quick and drastic they almost couldn’t stop in time to have an effect of production. I would say if a person wanted a Prius it would be best to hold off for six months and let the overflow lots stack up with the current model. If things work out anything like the retail industry has this Christmas those old Prii should sell at a huge discount pretty soon. Maybe if we wait long enough Big Lots will buy the excess stock and we can get a Prius at Kia prices?
Even I would consider a Prius at 10K but at 25K there are plenty of other cars to look at that won’t make me put a paper bag on my head to drive to a place where people know me. Not at $1.65 a gallon.
Well you got me there! Is that plant already in production for North American RAV4s? Regardless, I would think my original point stands: the Land Cruiser and the Lexus models have so much built-in profit, they are pretty much immune to swings in the yen-dollar exchange rate.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I just looked at the stats. The LX570 is the Only Lexus that has not had a losing year. The Land Cruiser and Sequoia have also done well this year. Three of the bright stars in a drab year.
kd. you live in NC. up north it is different. i remember when my sister first got her prius. when she came back to ct for a visit, it was cold. the computer read 35 mpg avg, including highway miles. driving up my street, the readout was 8 mpg, until my bil shut it off. overall, she averages 40+ mpg, but 30 is very possible. our winter gas usually costs 10-15% of normal gas mileage.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
30 mpg is possible due to conditions unrelated to the vehicle. That was the point of the poster. He believes that the vehicle was defective. In normal conditions it cannot get as low as 30 mpg for any normal trip of more than 10 min.
I'm from upstate NY originally so I understand about winter conditions and yes in slick, windy, bitter weather no vehicle will do well. But that has nothing to do with the vehicle. These conditions are covered by YMMV.
My used 08 Corolla averaged about 36 MPG (80% highway driving) earlier this summer and fall. Due to winter driving, it is around 34.5 MPG with the same local-highway driving mix. I paid about $ 9,000 less for the Corolla than I would have if I had bought a comparable used Prius.
A Prius would make financial sense if gas stays at over $ 4 a gallon for a prolonged period, especially if the owner does a lot of in-town driving or was switching from a large SUV.
Not really. In 3 years in 85% driving at 60+ mph over 100,000 miles I'm averaging 48 mpg. That's better than any other vehicle I might have chosen back in 2005. It's a no brainer. If I drove it in congested city traffic constantly my FE numbers would be in the mid 50's.
The other benefit is that it is not a sedan. It's a hatchback with all the flexibility and conveniences of a hatch but with far better fuel economy than a sedan.
It's hard to argue with the flexibility, comfort, safety, reliability and fuel economy.
To top it off the resale values are ridiculously high and the vehicle requires less maintenance than a traditional vehicle.
From what little I have read so far, I believe "rebodied Toyota" is largely inaccurate - it is an IS250 chassis and body with the HSD powertrain from the Camry, reworked to be RWD. And it will have an IS designation, I think.
My own personal theory is that within the next few years they will replace all the lowest engines for each Lexus model with an HSD powertrain instead, so that the volume models will all make at least 30 mpg combined and some will contribute to meeting the magical 35 mpg standard.....
I think they should also plan a performance hybrid trim for the IS line - something that goes for about the price of a base GS or a little less but which is faster than a base GS, using a 28 mpg hybrid/V-6 powertrain instead of a 20 mpg V-8.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
A. There simply isn't enough battery capacity in the world right now to meet the demand of the various hybrid makers; c.f. limitations on the new Fusion hybrid.
B. When gas went out of sight Lexus was screaming that they had nothing to offer to the upscale fuel-conscious buyer.
Point A. will change in the next 2-4 yrs with more capacity coming on stream but for now the options are what they are. There is little or no room for additional models on a grand scale.
Priuses are at bargain basement prices right now - go check one out, maybe you will become a Prius owner! ;-)
One dealer in my area has like 10 or 12 or something at $19,995.
I agree fin, Toyota's hybrid strategy is very haphazard. I don't think giving the 4500-pound Sienna a hybrid powertrain is going to help fuel economy all that much, but I am waiting for Toyota to prove me wrong. Certainly the HL hybrid is only good for high 20s. Which is better than low 20s of course.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Saw a loaded Venza on the road this morning, red with the big 20 inchers, V6, AWD.
Ya know, I've never actually considered a Toyota before, outside of a Lexus but man does the Venza look really good on the road. It has a certain European upscale look to me, like a Volvo or a Saab. I really think this model is going to take off... Don't know if it'll canabalize sales of the RAV4 or the Highlander, but heck those two are pretty much the official vehicles of Massachusetts right now, they are everywhere. But the Venza is better looking than both of them IMO, so maybe the tastes will change.
On a side note, got to check out my neighbors new Highlander over the Christmas holiday. Loaded, Ltd, Leather, Navigation, rear seat ent. the thing is loaded to the gills. The wife replaced a 97 Sienna that needed work at 221k miles so they traded up instead. I didn't drive it, but a friend of mine let me drive his wifes 4WD sport a few month back and I came away pretty impressed then. But in Limited trim, the thing is a Lexus without the badge. :shades:
"It's hard to steal a car with a SmartKey and no ignition switch. "
What makes it any harder than any other car. Person is at a light or pulls into a parking lot, perp opens the door places a 9mm up to the drivers ear and tells them to get out. Drives off with the car. But then they would have to want the car so there you have a point. :sick:
I know, I know, I spend too much time watching cop shows.
I know this isn't really exciting, but I've noticed that there are a few plow drivers around here using Tundras for business. Coincidentally, my BIL bought one over the Summer (for a steal btw) and is looking to use it to earn a few bucks and pay off some holiday debt. :shades:
That Tundra better have a heavy frame if he plans to get more than a season plowing snow. I have seen a lot of 1/2 ton PUs destroyed with plows. A 3/4 ton heavy duty is much better for plowing snow. I used an old Army Power wagon for years in Alaska. It just kept going. Great old vehicle.
Forum Blitz... It's happening on Edmunds and many other boards. Probably union folks in the job banks using their valuable time to spread rumors and propoganda.
Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, will freeze plans to build new factories in Thailand and Russia due to sluggish demand worldwide, Japan's Sankei newspaper reported on Saturday.
In June, Toyota said it would build a new 150,000 units-a-year diesel engine factory in Thailand, which would raise its annual diesel engine output capacity to 350,000 units in 2010 and create about 700 jobs.
But Japan's top automaker would suspend the plan because of slumping global auto demand, the Sankei said.
In St. Petersburg, Russia, Toyota began building cars at a new 50,000-units-a-year factory in December 2007.
But it will now freeze plans to build a secondary factory at the location as production at the existing factory fell short of its forecast, the newspaper added.
First the new plant in the U.S., now other plants around the world. I am glad that they are targeting production expansion for cost-cutting, rather than future product.
Yes the sales people and managers don't get the next month's info before anyone else. It's emailed or faxed the morning that it takes effect. It depends on inventory levels mostly but also what the public is responding to at the moment. Subvented rates? Leases? Cash Back?
"In good times and bad, we try to keep output in line with demand, keeping production in line with demand," Nolasco said. "This will help even out production flow."
I wonder if that type of use voids the warranty. :-P
BTW, I have now witnessed the backed-up Toyotas at the port firsthand in Benicia: the largest number of new Highlanders I have ever seen in one place, just row after row stretching off into the distance, easily hundreds and hundreds of them, maybe thousands. There were pick-ups and Sienna vans too. I guess maybe the back-up is more in the big vehicles than in the cars. Or maybe all the excess Corollas and Priuses are in Long Beach. ;-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
"Toyota's take on the situation is typical for a big corporation that has to worry about warranties and such: "We're not sure whether we should be bemused or horrified. This isn't, after all, what the Prius was designed to do. And it certainly isn't something we ever would recommend," wrote Open Road editor Jon F. Thompson."
That is one of the reasons I bought the GMC Hybrid PU truck was the 4 - 110Volt 20 amp outlets. Used it once in a blackout to keep the refrigerators going.
I would say Toyota will have some serious problems with all the hybrids sitting for months unsold. NiMH batteries do not like being discharged or being cold soaked. One dealer I checked in San Diego has 106 Prius listed. That is unreal. Someone in Japan needs to turn off the spigot until sales catch up with supply. Toyota usually has a better handle on supply and demand. They had to know how fickle Hybrid people are. They are all waiting for the latest and greatest 2010 models. The 2009 is not much different than the 2004. Best bet is to pull the batteries and what ever other components that will be re-used in the next gen and crush the 2009s for the recycle bin. Or they could have a GENUINE GM type Red Tag sale. Heck I might buy a Prius for $15k loaded.
Comments
lMore Alaska new-car buyers are choosing to go easy on the gas (Anchorage Daily News)
By your post I doubt that you actually do own one. If you do own one I promise that I can take YOUR vehicle and show you how to immediately get 48 mpg in YOUR Prius for as long as you want me to drive it.
Well the RAV4 isn't produced here, and if they are going to keep on shipping those over I think they would do the same with all the Lexus models and the Land Cruiser, which sell at much bigger profits than the RAV4 does.
OTOH, I would think they could stop shipping the Prius immediately, thereby avoiding the exchange rate losses they may be incurring and giving the bloated inventory already on U.S. shores a chance to sell out gradually until the new model is ready in 6 months' time. This is an old model now, and it's less competitive than it was without even considering that gas at $1.70/gallon gives people a lot less incentive to seek them out.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I don’t think they can cut off shipment that quickly. Industry, even Toyota, is a bit more like a ship or a train once it starts moving. The rise in gas prices was slow and steady and they ramped up production based on an idea that people would flock to cars like the Prius as long as both gas prices and the economy held together. The fall was so quick and drastic they almost couldn’t stop in time to have an effect of production. I would say if a person wanted a Prius it would be best to hold off for six months and let the overflow lots stack up with the current model. If things work out anything like the retail industry has this Christmas those old Prii should sell at a huge discount pretty soon. Maybe if we wait long enough Big Lots will buy the excess stock and we can get a Prius at Kia prices?
Even I would consider a Prius at 10K but at 25K there are plenty of other cars to look at that won’t make me put a paper bag on my head to drive to a place where people know me. Not at $1.65 a gallon.
Sure it is link.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
i remember when my sister first got her prius. when she came back to ct for a visit, it was cold. the computer read 35 mpg avg, including highway miles.
driving up my street, the readout was 8 mpg, until my bil shut it off.
overall, she averages 40+ mpg, but 30 is very possible.
our winter gas usually costs 10-15% of normal gas mileage.
I'm from upstate NY originally so I understand about winter conditions and yes in slick, windy, bitter weather no vehicle will do well. But that has nothing to do with the vehicle. These conditions are covered by YMMV.
this summer and fall. Due to winter driving, it is around 34.5 MPG with the
same local-highway driving mix. I paid about $ 9,000 less for the Corolla
than I would have if I had bought a comparable used Prius.
A Prius would make financial sense if gas stays at over $ 4 a gallon
for a prolonged period, especially if the owner does a lot of in-town
driving or was switching from a large SUV.
A better place to ask is in the Toyota Prius Forum. Try one of these:
New Prius Owners: Give Us Your Report
Toyota Prius MPG-Real World Numbers
MODERATOR
Need help getting around? claires@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Tell everyone about your buying experience: Write a Dealer Review
The other benefit is that it is not a sedan. It's a hatchback with all the flexibility and conveniences of a hatch but with far better fuel economy than a sedan.
It's hard to argue with the flexibility, comfort, safety, reliability and fuel economy.
To top it off the resale values are ridiculously high and the vehicle requires less maintenance than a traditional vehicle.
Lexus Prius spied
Oh well, it'll have more of a point than the current Lexus hybrids.
My own personal theory is that within the next few years they will replace all the lowest engines for each Lexus model with an HSD powertrain instead, so that the volume models will all make at least 30 mpg combined and some will contribute to meeting the magical 35 mpg standard.....
I think they should also plan a performance hybrid trim for the IS line - something that goes for about the price of a base GS or a little less but which is faster than a base GS, using a 28 mpg hybrid/V-6 powertrain instead of a 20 mpg V-8.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Their hybrid strategy right now is strange and pointless...I'd expect a revamp too.
A. There simply isn't enough battery capacity in the world right now to meet the demand of the various hybrid makers; c.f. limitations on the new Fusion hybrid.
B. When gas went out of sight Lexus was screaming that they had nothing to offer to the upscale fuel-conscious buyer.
Point A. will change in the next 2-4 yrs with more capacity coming on stream but for now the options are what they are. There is little or no room for additional models on a grand scale.
To top it off the resale values are ridiculously high and the vehicle requires less maintenance than a traditional vehicle.
I wish you would stop spreading these truthes. If you carry on like this more people will buy Prius and the prices will never drop.
One dealer in my area has like 10 or 12 or something at $19,995.
I agree fin, Toyota's hybrid strategy is very haphazard. I don't think giving the 4500-pound Sienna a hybrid powertrain is going to help fuel economy all that much, but I am waiting for Toyota to prove me wrong. Certainly the HL hybrid is only good for high 20s. Which is better than low 20s of course.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Ya know, I've never actually considered a Toyota before, outside of a Lexus but man does the Venza look really good on the road. It has a certain European upscale look to me, like a Volvo or a Saab. I really think this model is going to take off... Don't know if it'll canabalize sales of the RAV4 or the Highlander, but heck those two are pretty much the official vehicles of Massachusetts right now, they are everywhere. But the Venza is better looking than both of them IMO, so maybe the tastes will change.
On a side note, got to check out my neighbors new Highlander over the Christmas holiday. Loaded, Ltd, Leather, Navigation, rear seat ent. the thing is loaded to the gills. The wife replaced a 97 Sienna that needed work at 221k miles so they traded up instead. I didn't drive it, but a friend of mine let me drive his wifes 4WD sport a few month back and I came away pretty impressed then. But in Limited trim, the thing is a Lexus without the badge. :shades:
What makes it any harder than any other car. Person is at a light or pulls into a parking lot, perp opens the door places a 9mm up to the drivers ear and tells them to get out. Drives off with the car. But then they would have to want the car so there you have a point. :sick:
I know, I know, I spend too much time watching cop shows.
But it is harder to just flat out steal one the old fashioned way.
they post about a problem and never return.
scroll to last post
I have been googling and searched this site for the answer. I'd be very surprised if Toyota employees didn't give us a helpful heads-up.
Thanks for any help ladies and gents.
In June, Toyota said it would build a new 150,000 units-a-year diesel engine factory in Thailand, which would raise its annual diesel engine output capacity to 350,000 units in 2010 and create about 700 jobs.
But Japan's top automaker would suspend the plan because of slumping global auto demand, the Sankei said.
In St. Petersburg, Russia, Toyota began building cars at a new 50,000-units-a-year factory in December 2007.
But it will now freeze plans to build a secondary factory at the location as production at the existing factory fell short of its forecast, the newspaper added.
First the new plant in the U.S., now other plants around the world. I am glad that they are targeting production expansion for cost-cutting, rather than future product.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20090105/ANE02/901050297/1198
(registration link)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Predictive TMV can give you an idea of which way prices are heading for the make/model you are shopping.
Toyota idles plants for extra 11 days (CNN)
BTW, I have now witnessed the backed-up Toyotas at the port firsthand in Benicia: the largest number of new Highlanders I have ever seen in one place, just row after row stretching off into the distance, easily hundreds and hundreds of them, maybe thousands. There were pick-ups and Sienna vans too. I guess maybe the back-up is more in the big vehicles than in the cars. Or maybe all the excess Corollas and Priuses are in Long Beach. ;-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Prius as Emergency Generator Saved Bacon, and Eggs, When Lights Went Out
I would say Toyota will have some serious problems with all the hybrids sitting for months unsold. NiMH batteries do not like being discharged or being cold soaked. One dealer I checked in San Diego has 106 Prius listed. That is unreal. Someone in Japan needs to turn off the spigot until sales catch up with supply. Toyota usually has a better handle on supply and demand. They had to know how fickle Hybrid people are. They are all waiting for the latest and greatest 2010 models. The 2009 is not much different than the 2004. Best bet is to pull the batteries and what ever other components that will be re-used in the next gen and crush the 2009s for the recycle bin. Or they could have a GENUINE GM type Red Tag sale. Heck I might buy a Prius for $15k loaded.
No doubt Toyota will be in touch with you shortly.