Who Wants to be First to Own a Gen IV Prius the the US

I don't know if the build up and anticipation for the Gen 4 will be able to match the build up for the Gen 3 which IMO was amazing. But I'm sure you'll have a considerable amount of people that enjoy being the first with the latest.

For various reasons I myself have never chosen to be part of that crowd. In fact, I enjoy reading and hearing everything about a new model, living vicariously through others, and perhaps in a few years upgrading then.

It would take something incredibly special to make me want a first model year. Otherwise I can wait.

 

I was considering buying one as soon as they were available, but then they kept delaying it, so ended up getting a Gen 3 instead.

Now I'm watching to see not only what Gen 4 has to offer, but also if the next gen Plug-in Prius will be available nationwide. I want a plug-in vehicle now, so if the Gen 2 PiP isn't available here in the Midwest, I'm getting the Volt, Leaf, or Model 3 instead.

 

I bought my 2010 Gen III Prius (serial number 1500) back in 2009. I might want to replace the wife's 2008 Gen II when the Gen IV comes out.

 

I have a 2008 and am ANXIOUSLY awaiting the specs on the Gen IV--my plans are to get one shortly after they come out. However, I live n the East Coast, so will have a wait. And wonder if it is not wise to wait several months in case there are any issues................

 

I personally like the fourth model year. It gets the refresh and the updates, without the hassle. Great luck with my '07 and my '13 has 30,000 miles without a hiccup!

 

Any ideas on pre-order dates?

 

We learned this lesson the hard way in 2013. The Wife had previously owned several Peugeots and loved them, so when the funky looking 2008 was announced she fell in love with the picture and rushed out to pre order one.

Several months later it arrived and Wifey was one of the first in the UK to get one. Unfortunately, she hated it, and within 4 months she had sold it on, fortuanately not suffering much of a loss. Never again will we order a car before itnis launched and we can properly test drive it, even if that means foregoing the fleeting thrill of being first.

 

I would like to at least see it first. I have my sights set on a Tesla Model 3.
My '08 only has 52k on it, I'm good!

 

No way do I care about being first, especially with the newcomer (also starts with a T) making waves while Toyota sits on its EV laurels and defiantly pushes hydrogen.

 

Unlike Tesla, Toyota arent being bankrolled by a multi billionaire and cant afford to operate at a financial loss. Without some breakthrough in power density - which Nissan are whispered to be close to - pure EVs are range and charging speed restricted, and will remain so at sensible money for the forseeable future. With that in mind it is sensible pursue technolgies which dont suffer the same handicap.

 

Are you referring to Toyota's work on fuel cell vehicles? They are even more expensive than most EV's, and have an even worse range limit due to the small number of hydrogen filling stations around. Rumors are that Toyota is losing a ton of money with each Mirai they sell. Though they don't reveal the true cost, some experts have estimated a Mirai would really cost over $100k if they were to sell them at cost.

I still wonder how well the Plug-in Prius would have sold, if they released it nationwide. Sure, it's got a fairly pitiful EV range, but afterwards it's a Gen 3 Prius getting 50 mpg minus the spare tire and a slightly smaller gas tank. I think they could have crushed the Volt and Leaf underfoot had people been able to get the PiP more easily. Or at least marginalized the sales to the point that GM and Nissan would have felt "EV's are going nowhere" and probably killed those vehicles off.

But by not doing that, they allowed EV's to flourish even more. So I suppose in a way we should thank Toyota for not making EV's more available so that their competition could make them and take over that market?

 

The only EV that gets close to challenging a conventional car for both range and performance is the Tesla, and despite being subsidised at a loss by their billionaire owner are still way more expensive than Toyotas fuel cell effort. Despite being in their infancy fuel cell cars are are already cheaper than the only proper all round EV, so I dont quite follow your argument against them on cost grounds.

in addition their range can be addressed by investment, which is easier and more likely than the breakthrough in applied physics necessary to achieve the energy density required to make EVs that arent compromised on range, refuelling speed, weight and price.

 

Who Wants to be First to Own a Gen IV Prius the the US?

See also: Who wants to pay too much for their G4?

 

The Mirai's price is not its cost, and Toyota is subsidizing them on their dime. In the year leading up to the unveil, even they said it might be $100k.

Hydrogen infrastructure for the US will cost billions of dollars. The cost to make hydrogen means most of it will be made from hydrogen. Even then the cost per mile compared to a conventional, non-hybrid will be about the same. Some break throughs are required in order for hydrogen production, transport, and storage improve to the point of dropping those prices. Meanwhile, battery technology and price has been steadily improving since the Leaf and Volt came out.