Featured Toyota Prius sales have tanked, 4 reasons why

This is my feeling exactly. Even though I bought the '18 Gen IV, I will most definitely get a PHEV or full electric within 3-4 years.

 

Most folks say - the more & more ICE-less driving you experience - the more & more you want. Like an addiction. Remember .... You've been warned

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Green crack?

 

That happened to me at a toll booth, when I was bringing the car home. "S%#!, what a great place for this to die". You know it's going to happen, but when it does, you're not expecting it.

 

We had around a ½ dozen leased S10 ev pickups at Disney for several years starting in the late 1990's - some lead acid & some - the longer range nickel metal hydride packs. From the very 1st drive - there was a "WOW!" sensation. So much so - that when we discovered our GenII Prius, came with an EV button in japan - we ordered the button & it's install became our 1st mod. SO cool. The quiet - 20yrs later is still a 'WOW'.
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I had a valet tell me he doesn't like driving hybrids 'cause he could never tell when they're on.

 

I don't frequent places that have valet parking.

 

Maybe use the stereo system and a seat rumbler to simulate an idling engine.

There is some precedent - the IS/RC 300h in some markets has fake engine noises to simulate shifting through a gearbox, and even paddles to control the fake engine noise (and also increase engine braking).

 

The shifter and the On/Off button take some getting used to, for the uninitiated. If someone needs to borrow your car, and you just hand them the fob, there's often "the phone call".

 

When my son went to NYC, he needed to leave his Prius v in valet parking.
The valet came running after him because he did not know how to start the car even though my son left the valet card .

 

Well, I'd be ok with a convention key. I'd REALLY be ok with an old school (dumb) conventional key, the kind you could dupe for under $10. And the conventional shifter? At least you didn't need the effing beep to MAYBE remind you you were still in reverse... Yeah, I've had lapses, lol.

 

have we come up with more than 4 reasons?

 

Start-Stop technology creeps me out. I won't consider any car with an engine that starts
OK, preferably no engine at all

 

Few cars today lack start/stop. And even cylinder deactivation is growing. I find the Prius implementation of start/stop to be as trivial as any change I've experienced between cars of different generations. Now the audio system and nav is another story.

 

I was inside the huge 500,000 square foot warehouse at Tire Rack today getting some new tires on my new wheels and was parked in one of the bays while they did their thing. We went to leave and the car must have been warm enough that it did't start as we backed out of our parking spot and left the building totally on electric. I had already noticed and my wife said to me how quiet it was even after owning another Prius for over 10 years. Yea, i'm still on EV Crack, I want more!

 

You had me at "I was inside the Tire Rack warehouse"...

 

even more so, main-land Jie-nahh. It's no longer the land of rickshaws. ... maybe some day China will follows the US trend, morph'ing instead to Lyft/Uber type services - but until then, their market is still on the rise.
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