Getting your new 2016 may be a problem in the near term - Toyota steel plant blew up

correct. a prius has never been built outside japanese borders.

 

Toyota Halts Japan Output Next Week on Steel Plant Explosion - Bloomberg Business says

On that note, AICHI STEEL does have some PDFs under TOPICS that has some info about the explosion and when steel production might resume.

 

Europe will have to pay the price I guess !

 

Better move Prius production to USA

 

should have started with gen 4.

 

Part of the attraction of the Prius is that it is Japanese built.

 

I don't get this argument. Your choice of vehicle should NOT be determined by gas prices. Doing that is like speculating in the stock market. You never know what gas prices will be. They can easily go up again and go back down again after that.

The "reason" to buy a Prius (or any hybrid or electric vehcicle) is because you believe in the concept and/or want to reduce the amount of gas you use regardless of the price. On the other hand, if you "need" an SUV (for hauling cargo/people/whatever) and to go off road (if it's 4x4 capable) then, you also have to buy one regardless of the price of gas.

FWIW, I've owned 2 Priuses (a Gen 2 and Gen 3) but don't have one now. I have also owned 2 FJ Cruisers and still own one of them now. The FJ is a gas pig -- just like the Ford F250 that I also own -- but the FJ can do things a Prius can't do, so I'll keep it regardless of wherther gas prices go up or down until I decide I just don't "need" its special features anymore.

On the other hand, I can't get the 40 mpg that I use to get in my Gen 3 from any of my other cars. So, that's why I'm thinking about adding yet another Prius -- purely to use less gas (and to visit the gas station less often) regardless of the price of gas.

 

i know what you mean, but the toyota's built elsewhere are just as good. we haven't had any problems with our camry's our hycam's. it's their philosophy and the way they run the factories.

 

Good point.

Maybe it's better now. I recall one Canadian made Civic we had: there was a bead of caulking run along a seam between front fender and engine bay panels. Well, supposed to: one side was ok, on the other, some (hung-over, green, or just don't care) worker had applied this nice long bead, about 1/2" offset from the seam.

 

Some numbers from Consumer Reports

The automaker is expected to source steel from other locations, including China and Korea, to keep production rolling. The Prius was being built at an average rate of 1,600 cars a day for worldwide distribution, but projections see Prius production dropping to about 500 cars a day until the end of March even after production resumes.

What this means for consumers is that the new car may be in limited supply in the coming weeks, curtailing color and option choices, as well as reducing negotiation room. Right now, there are about 3,000 unsold Priuses at U.S. dealerships, with about 5,000 more en route. Those cars are to be shared among 1,200 Toyota dealerships.

In addition, it was expected that the remaining inventory of 2015 Priuses would be cleared off lots with generous customer rebates. (There are about 3,000 2015s available, as well.) But those incentives will likely not be as grand as a consequence.

Production is said to be affected from February 2, and the supply impact will be felt a couple weeks later, starting on the West Coast.

Fortunately, Consumer Reports was able to purchase a 2016 Toyota Prius Three a few days ago, with a sticker price of $27,323. We are currently adding up the break-in miles, in anticipation of testing in the weeks ahead.

 

i wonder how much discounting will take place for the next few months.

 

Any and all disasters are unfortunate to those directly affected...however...I see this disaster affecting the price and availability of Prius much like the Tsunami did in 2010. Either way, another reason to let it ride for a while for some still on the fence. As an aside, wasn't the Prius at one time also made in Taiwan (or somewhere) for distribution to parts other than the US?

 

Not sure how this would affect the remaining 2015 models? Seems to me if someone wants a 2016 Prius they would not settle for the 2015.

 

agreed. they'll probably wait, if they want a '16.

 

I just hope they don't repeat a frequent pattern seen in other auto reporting of repeating criticisms about the previous Prius. Some are more overt but it looks like having called the earlier Prius on 'something earned', some reporters are repeating these past complaints as if the sins of the father must be visited on the son.

The cure is to look at those reviewers who actually take metrics and share them with their readership. MotorTrend comes to mind. Some things will always be subjective, a matter of taste. But objective measurements I can believe.

Bob Wilson

 

If you have the VIN for your car, the first digit denotes country of assembly.

Not here. North America is the second biggest market for the Prius outside of Japan, and it isn't some low production boutique car. It is a snub from Toyota not to assemble it here, and I won't consider one until any of the Prius family cars is built here.

The robot had lazy eye.

Quality is a factor of company culture. If they are committed to it, then it won't matter where the car is made. On the flip side, being built in a certain location doesn't make the cars immune to all manufacturing defects.

I sort of remember reports of production being shifted there because of the tsunami, or was it to meet unexpected Aqua demand.

 

actually, many/most, consider it a plus that the prius is built in japan. to each their own as they say.

 

I for one, prefer the Japanese-built Toyotas.