Featured Prime on top for June as top PHEV

With the 5 seat PRIME that could increase even more.

 

and that's without the massive northeast discounts

 

Does this mean their new part-time all wheel drive feature is getting traction?

 

i don't think it comes in the plug in

 

Yes - as @bisco mentioned, the AWD is only on PRIUS, not on PRIME. So far.

 

I guess it's people's perceptions. The nearest snow to here is 1400km away - so I have no idea in practice. If I look out my front door - I see a PRIUS, 2 or 3 hatchbacks, 6 or 8 AWD SUVs and 2 or 3 4WD twin-cab trucks. Fairly sure none of which have ever gone off-road, or in the snow. Most of them have tow-bars - I've never seen any of them towing anything - none own trailers, boats or caravans that I've seen.

Chatting to one of them, said "just in case - you never know". His wife far prefers her hatchback though.

 

It's the same reason why people buy big trucks and SUV's for their 1 person, 50 mile commute to work and back on paved roads. Because they might need it someday theoretically. Even if they never go off-roading/camping/fishing/hunting with it or it never snows where they live.

Just like some people argue that unless an electric vehicle can drive 500 miles on one charge, can charge up back to full in 15 minutes or less, and costs $20k, they won't consider one. They don't necessarily consider what their real daily driving needs are, and instead impose those once a year situations as the basis for if they get a certain vehicle or not, especially a hybrid or plug-in car.

And I'll bet even when an EV does meet their conditions, they still won't buy one because they're so ingrained and used to operating a gas car that they'll just automatically write it off unless their life situation really forces them to look closely at one, like say they're getting tired of spending $200-400 a month on gas even at these current "low" prices.

That's why I'm glad to see that plug-ins are still making their way to the market. And as more people see their friends, relatives, coworkers, and neighbors driving them, they'll feel more comfortable taking the plunge themselves on one when it comes time to replace their current vehicle.

 

Basically everyone has their reasons/justifications that don't always make sense to others. For me, it's folks who primarily base their choice on their pets needs (and I'm a pet owner).

A common reason I hear from non-enthusiasts who want an SUV is being able to see "better" because they sit higher and feel safer.

 

Not following as close allows then to see better and it is safer. They really just use that as a justification... hence, know your audience.

The takeaway from learning that is logic doesn't always sell. In fact, critical thinking is pretty low on the decision-making process for vehicle purchases.

This is why Toyota had taken the time to create a hybrid design that's readily adaptable to support a plug.... RAV4. So when the time is right, they pull the trigger without consequence... the Osborne effect.

 

It depends upon very highly variable snow and ice conditions. And some people just don't like to put on chains.

Around here, we have a few very heavily traveled roads with frequent winter closures for avalanche clearing, avalanche control, and increasingly for "clearing multiple spinouts and collisions". Occasionally, the State posts "Chains or AWD requred" on the overhead signs and on-road sandwich boards. Often these restrictions are unenforced, but sometimes there is checkpoint staffed by a person in a government uniform, a badge, and a gun on his/her hip, checking compliance of every vehicle going by. Even absent checkpoints, if you get stuck without the required traction aides and block traffic, expect a 4-digit fine along with the towing bill.

Under some posted conditions, snow tires are legally sufficient. But other times, not sufficient.

Personally, I'm not getting an AWD Prius. I spend a lot of time on rural family farm duty where any normal-clearance 2WD is frequently a no-go in winter, regardless of studded snow tires and chains. Most of these times, my higher-clearance Subaru can get there. A handful of times this past winter during my work shift weeks, even that was a no-go. One of those times, an F-250 with chains on all four and 3/4 ton of feed in back, was sufficient. The other times, we either fired up the Caterpillar bulldozer, or put on windpants and snowboots and hiked through it, or just waited out for better conditions. Dad is long past being able to walk it under any conditions, fortunately he had no emergency medical needs during those times.

 

nyuk nyuk nyuk ... you made a double entendre ...
.

 

Gotta be careful with that farm equipment too. One needs a vastly larger operation and income stream than we have (i.e. better location too) to pay the loans on the big, fancy, best equipment. Some of them can't even turn themselves around in our fields.

Over his lifetime, dad has seen many operators go bust when they couldn't pay their loans. Plenty that did not last long enough to earn Century Farm plaques when the state celebrated its Centennial.

And he saw plenty of people's kids leave and have more success at other careers than any of their several farm generation ancestors ever had. My family's farm will persist only because one sibling (not me) has chosen it as a retirement project and lifestyle.

 

A bit over 130 years here.

 

a few years ago, i read about a family farm in new hampshire that dated pre revolution, land given by king of england.

they were in danger of selling to developers due to the popularization of csa's

haven't seen anything since on their fate

 

The Prime and the Clarity are pretty much the only ones still out there that aren't compliance vehicles.

 

maybe they'll start selling prime in all 50 states someday