2017 Toyota Prius Prime Plug-In Hybrid Drive – Review – Car and Driver Odd and interesting takeaways : They mention the prime is only 77 lbs heavier than similarly equipped prius, which is lighter than the 3rd Gen. So why can they not have a middle seat again? They mention an interesting thing that the prime will be ready to take on denser cells when they are available... Say what? Can we upgrade the prime? Is a 32 mile prime ready not too long in the future?
i hope so! or same miles below decks? funny how they think it's going to appeal to prius drivers, this is going to drive john crazy. 'pip was only capable of 6 miles ev, and that with an egg under your foot'. oh no john! it gets worse, they claim a slightly distorted view through the curved hatch window. and, of course, more is better, and a phev engine should never have to run. toyoshima 'hinted' that it would accept denser cells. well boy howdy, when your 10 year old battery dies, you can drop $5 or $10,000. worth of new cells in your 10 year old car. such a deal. gee, if prime could hit 50 miles ev, it might sell as well as a volt. whup de do.
I was the one who started the mid-cycle upgrade discussion and have been talking about Toyota's flexible platform approach for years.
Yeah that lack of middle seat really torn into 1st Gen Volt sales. They only sold 70,000. And GM does NOT come to mind when I think of hybrids or EVs for that matter. Neither do truck or SUV buyers for that matter. Probably not. But Toyota can and will in about 2 to 3 years. Why? Because it might require different charging circuitry. And that will also be about the time they start putting their Silicon Carbide (SiC) power electronics into widespread use. Unsupervised!
I do not know. If it were wrapped in the 2012 body style, I'd pre-order one tomorrow, because 22 miles of EV range and a real-world EV-only mode seems to be reasonable for a $30,000 car....especially one that gets 50MPG burning gas. I just can't get past the styling.....
no argument on the specs. i like the styling, though i prefer the lift back. i can't get past the loss of hatch space. i never bought any of my 3 pri for styling though.
Volt had a variety of things to address. Leg & Head room in back was among the seating issues. Heavy subsidies (incredibly low lease rates) are what got sales going, then came the massive price cut. Many left GM after the lease expired too. Prius Prime will be more spacious in back, even if it starts with bucket seating... which I actually prefer. Either way, Toyota is trying to avoid the "conquest then flee" problem.
I think sales would be absolutely crazy if say...they sold the base model for $27k, and aim for the spot where if you got incentives it'd cost just as much as a regular Prius. That should undercut Volt sales quite a bit...but again...that 5th seat lol. People looking at PHV and have a baby might look into volts or Ioniq's to put the child in the middle.
Tax credits will expire. Other Prime models will be offered. Think beyond the next 2 years... SM-G920V ?
I know!!!! I do think that is hurting sales, along with the missing 5th seat and the decrease in the trunk area!!! The only color I could handle was the gray because it hid that aggressive spoiler look!
