Early adopters, like me, you and others who bought gen 1&2 Prius models, influenced many future Prius buyers in the next decade the time came for them to consider a new car. Mike
That's a red-herring. Prius Prime is setting the same stage. Again, know your audience. Ordinary consumers, those showroom shoppers that are looking to replace their aged Toyota with a new Toyota, will see the plug being presented as a new choice. Quite unlike you and I, they won't be well informed. They will simply trust the reputation of Toyota and measure it against the price they are willing to pay for a new vehicle. They won't cross shop. They won't get a tax-credit. They won't have a charger. Think about what it takes to achieve mainstream popularity. It's not going to be a standout vehicle like Prius (though Prius will still very much be a player on the team). It will vehicles that are basically just another vehicle on the street, only there will also be a small badge indicating it is somehow different. That will be Corolla and RAV4 as hybrids, then plug-in hybrids, recognized as "one of those" influencing others. Toyota is targeting the masses by working their way up. It's the continuous-improvement approach they are well known for. It's entirely possible Prius only be available as a PHEV for the next generation. Whether or not an EV from Toyota is widely available yet won't make any difference on that front. Think about what an upgrade to battery chemistry & capacity would do for its draw for the Prius audience. Think about how much it would do to promote other plug-in choices. Rushing to market is the monumental mistake GM made with Volt. They wasted tax-credits on conquest, only to lose those potential repeat customers later. Sales to the wider audience that are both sustainable & profitable is worth having to deal with the appearance of lagging. Notice how Volt enthusiasts claiming exactly that about Toyota have completely vanished? We faced their rhetoric on a regular basis. Now, they've grown silent... quietly watching what happens with the mid-cycle upgrade to Prius Prime. Sorry about the push from time to time with reminders of scope & purpose, but you are the type of audience who takes the time to consider the bigger picture. So, the discussions are worthwhile for all of us. Think about how much has changed and how much we've learned since this particular thread was first started 6 years ago.
Comparison of a vehicle with nationwide availability for years to one with limited inventory & market should not be taken seriously. Those sales have almost nothing in common. You know all too well Toyota held back 2019 offerings due to the mid-cycle upgrade for 2020. Remember those discussions back when 2018 inventory burn down was taking place? Even then, approach was difficult to deny... which is why similarity claims now don't hold any merit. Some still argued though, trying to convince us Toyota's patience was really disinterest. Watch what happens as 2020 models roll out.
Maybe that applies, in general, to our generation. But the younger ones will use social media and car buying apps at a much higher rate because they aren't going to go in and spend hours with a sales critter. Know your audience! Mike
Showroom shoppers are repeat buyers. But excellent point for the incoming newest audience, who may not even have a place to plug in yet.
Those people who buy based on trust aren't going to "risk" buying some new-fangled technology. They will buy a gas-powered Corolla or Camry. I have personally talked two people in my office of 15 into buying Primes, and both of them were almost completely unwilling before I explained how it worked, tax incentives, and fuel savings. People aren't going to get that in the showroom. Salespeople are woefully ignorant about the cars they sell. Shoot, even the service techs (most of them) have no idea how the PHEV works. My household has owned three different Prius models, so you could say we're loyal repeat customers. More so if you include the two Toyota models before the Priuses, but our next cars are extremely likely to be BEVs. The advent of affordable (barely) BEVs with realistic range for people in a commuter city like Los Angeles make it an economic no-brainer. If Toyota doesn't have a BEV at that time it is unlikely that Toyota will be a consideration at the next vehicle replacement cycle.
Something is wrong with Toyota's estimated fuel saved. By their estimation, if you had used gas for all those EV miles you would have averaged 158 mpg. If you estimate a more realistic 50 mpg, your savings are more like 1,602 gallons.
RAV4 hybrid is proving that claim outdated. A few years from now, it will be reasonable for the model with a plug too. That's the point of bringing the entire fleet forward... the tech won't be thought of as "new" forever.
Go ask 10 random people who do not own hybrid vehicles WHY they don't own one. I guarantee more than a simple majority will tell you variations of reasons that involve charging the vehicle. People do not understand basic hybrids yet, even 16 years after the Prius debuted.
That's not the audience. Focus is on showroom shoppers, not random on-the-street people. Ask 10 of them in the summer of 2020 whether they would like the regular, hybrid, or "Prime" model. How many do you think will recognize (at least on a high level) the difference and be curious to find out more?
I would bet $5 that less than 10% would know there was a substantive difference and care to learn what the differences are.
