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So is this why Gen IV delayed?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by cyclopathic, Jul 14, 2014.

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  1. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    #1 cyclopathic, Jul 14, 2014
  2. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    The benchmark for Prius is at least 10% improvement in fuel economy over the previous generation. The Gen III Prius is already leaps and bounds ahead of most other hybrids, therefore 10% may be turning out to be a tall order this time. The planned release of Gen IV next May has been pushed back to the end of the year.
     
    #2 GregP507, Jul 14, 2014
  3. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    Mazda plays catch-up in electric arms race | Driving
     
    #3 cyclopathic, Jul 14, 2014
  4. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    The Prius faces many threats to its Eco crown. I see the BMW i3 with range extender as a threat from above and cars like Mazda nibbling from below. What's stopping KIA or the like from sticking a generator on a small electric. You wouldn't need much battery range to compete with the Prius. Wait till the Chinese start selling their cars like the BYD.
     
    #4 goldfinger, Jul 14, 2014
  5. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    COST reduction is major influence in the rollout schedule.

    The next must be able to compete directly with the non-hybrid offerings.
     
    #5 john1701a, Jul 14, 2014
  6. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    I've driven a BYD, it won't be providing much competition until its 2nd generation, at least.
    It is the only EV for which I would rather be driving an ICE :O
     
    #6 Zythryn, Jul 14, 2014
    lensovet likes this.
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    mazda? don't make me laugh. i3? no chance. chinese golf carts? prius will be in gen V by then. it's going to take a major breakthrough to knock the king off his throne.
     
    #7 bisco, Jul 14, 2014
  8. telmo744

    telmo744 HSD fanatic

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    That quote is wrong, JC test cycles for 3Gen Prius are rated 30.4-32.6km/l (3.06~3.28l/100km)
    toyota.jp プリウス
     
    #8 telmo744, Jul 15, 2014
  9. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    #9 wjtracy, Jul 15, 2014
  10. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    yeah nice to be back (and have people remember me ;))

    not sure I am keeping my options open.. as of now we have Gen-4, "C", upcoming Mazda-2 and perhaps Mirage on the list.. Insurance on Prii is not teenager-friendly, so that kinda skews outlook. And no, plug-in is unlikely at least until we get a solar. With $.16/kWt and all inconvenience it doesn't make much sense.
     
    #10 cyclopathic, Jul 15, 2014
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i pay .16/kwh, that's about half the price of gas. and there's no inconvenience whatsoever.
     
    #11 bisco, Jul 15, 2014
  12. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    I won't be able to charge more then once a day. As such, saving $8/mo not gonna save anything, and we have alot of coal in the mix, so CO2 footprint will be higher.
     
    #12 cyclopathic, Jul 15, 2014
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  13. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ...I am interested in your comment about Prius not being teen-ager friendly re: insurance costs. I like to understand hidden dis-incentives for hybrids such as car taxes. Why would Prius be any different for Insurance?
     
    #13 wjtracy, Jul 16, 2014
  14. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    not sure.. I am guessing b/c it is more expensive to fix (fewer 3rd party parts, more to fix, etc). In straight comparo of Mitsu Mirage and Prius C, annual cost for "C" was considerably higher, despite gas savings on estimated 25,000mi/year. It might have been different for adult but the teen/young adult insurance down here is disproportionally higher, so..
     
    #14 cyclopathic, Jul 16, 2014
  15. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I guess one possible explanation might be the "c" did not do so well in the IIHS's new partial frontal crash test. I don't recall if the 2014 "c" addressed this or not...believe the 2014 hatchback they made a bumper fix to address that new test.
     
    #15 wjtracy, Jul 16, 2014
  16. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    perhaps.. but the diff in gas savings was ~$300/year vs insurance more like $1000-1500, YMMV
     
    #16 cyclopathic, Jul 18, 2014
  17. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    #17 drash, Aug 5, 2014
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It's possible. There was a rumour way back that Toyota was looking at an all-aluminium monocoque for the G4 but scrapped it due to cost. A few years pass and now it's possibly back on the table given that Ford has gone with aluminium on their F-150 (which is akin to Toyota going full aluminium on their Camry). They're saving 100kgs, Land Rover's saving up to 100kg on their 2015 Range Rover too with aluminium.

    Weight savings benefits are immense - handling, tire wear, cornering/suspension setup, fuel economy, acceleration and braking. Toyota may need a slightly wider track to offset the lighter weight (I'm thinking crosswind stability).

    Another option is CFRP or carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic. It's cheaper than full on CF and has the benefit of no rust. The problem is panel gaps vs. metal (steel or aluminium) with a plastic panel.
     
    #18 Tideland Prius, Aug 5, 2014
  19. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    #19 Mike500, Aug 5, 2014
  20. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    I think that's the effort behind their emphasis on stiffness. They are probably concerned most with their SUVs and vans that sit higher. In their creating the carbon fiber body for the Lexus LFA, they found a cheaper manufacturing method. With all the automakers suddenly rediscovering aluminum, Alcoa is looking like a solid stock pick.
     
    #20 drash, Aug 5, 2014
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