Will the '09 Prius lower the value of the current gen?

It's also important to remember that the supply curve is far from flat.

I'd expect that gen II Prius' will retain a fair amount of value for quite some time. Remember, these cars haven't really penetrated the secondary market yet; they’re still selling pretty fast (at least from what I can see.) That means that there are still plenty of people who are willing to pay for them. It's just important to understand that those people may not be able to afford a new one.

Yes, we might take a little hit, but how many cars do you know that hold their value as well as the Prius? That my parent's four year old Prius has a book value that's approximately $18K is to mind frankly amazing. That's especially true when compared to other vehicles.

I don't know about you, but I bought my Prius because I wanted, for any number of reasons, but non-the-less, it was because I wanted it. I didn't buy it as an investment. Yes, it's a bonus that it will likely hold its value, but that's just a bonus. While I'm driving this car into the ground, I'm going to have a really nice vehicle that gets fantastic FE.

 

Hi everyone!

My latest information says, that the prius 09 is going to sip about 13% less fuel.
Compared to my P2 making 50 mpg its going to be about 57 mpg and thats not much better.

And it´s right, don´t forget the secondary market; when gas prices continue to rise - and that´s what i hope for - Prius 2 will still be great in mileage...

kr
wogue

 

STOP THE PRESSES...............

The '09s are likely to be no different than the current models. The '09s are due out in the Fall.

Mr Watanabe the CEO of Toyota has a major announcement about Toyota's hybrids coming in Jan 09 at the NAIAS. This is well after the '09 Prius' hit the market. There's no confirmation but I'd bet dollars to donuts that he will announce the next Gen3 Prius at that time as a '10 model due here in about 12-15 months.

 

Yes this is true. There are virtually no preowned Prius' available in the US. There are a lot of people that would like to own a Prius but either won't or can't pay more than $20000 for a vehicle. In the US the used car market is actually larger than the new car market.

 

I'm getting many more questions about the Prius lately, so I'm not too sure if demand for used ones will fall just because there are more available.

 

The king of hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius, will not offer a third generation hybrid drive until sometime in 2009 as a 2010 model - at least that's based on the latest reports (and rumors).

Early reports once indicated that the new hybrid drive would offer lithium-ion batteries. "We will change the battery from nickel hydride to the lithium battery," CEO Katsuaki Watanabe told Business Week last year. ​

Not long after, rumors against such a lithium move hit the blogosphere, and later rumors even claimed that lithium-powered hybrids from Toyota had been delayed by at least 1 to 2 years due to safety precautions. All the while Toyota has been very tight-lipped on the subject. ​

Bigger, faster, more efficient Prius, nonetheless, what will it cost? ​

Without lithium, major improvements are not expected in fuel economy. Still, the third generation Prius will be a little bigger, faster and 10 - 20 percent more fuel efficient than the second generation Prius, according to the latest reports leaking out of Japan. That could mean more than 50 mpg on the highway, and as high as 60 in the city. Of course, hpypermilers will be able to do far better. ​

Does that make the third generation Prius worth more than the current version? Will their be a price increase, a decrease? ​

Originally, Toyota had suggested that the next generation Toyota Prius, utilizing a Third Generation Hybrid Synergy Drive - a hybrid powertrain predicted to be half the weight of the current Prius powertrain - would cut in half hybrid technology costs. ​

Early on, Toyota sources claimed that third generation hybrid technology, "will cut prices for eco-friendly vehicles, reduce fuel costs and slash production expenses." ​

Was that prediction made utilizing lithium? Was the prediction battery independent? ​

How did, or does, this affect price? ​

Toyota is already planning a 60 percent increase in Prius production for 2009, which seems to coincide with the launch of the third generation Prius sometime in 2009. ​

Is a little bigger, faster and more fuel efficient Prius worth a 60 percent increase in producti? Could third generation costs go down? Must they go down? ​

Consumers have been embracing the Prius in greater numbers, month-after-month. And if gas prices stay high, consumers appear ready to convert to hybrids in even larger numbers. ​

Is this enough to justify a 60 percent increase in Prius production - scheduled for 2009 as Toyota heads into the third generation launch? ​

It seems so, even without lithium.

Prius derivatives? ​

Still, what does all this mean? Will rumors of a non-plug-in, 100 mpg Prius prove to be unfounded? ​

Will Toyota offer a NiMH-powered Prius plug-in hybrid? ​

It seems hard to imagine that the next generation Prius could achieve 100 mpg, without some sort of plug-in functionality - which is a possibility. Still, Toyota has steadily maintained that plug-ins are not yet feasible, especially without lithium batteries. ​

Then again, perhaps the 100 mpg Prius is a derivative Prius, such as a smaller, city Prius. ​

Toyota has claimed that the future could hold multiple derivatives of the Prius, and a larger Prius - in addition to the smaller Prius - also seem possible. Both a smaller Prius and a larger Prius have made auto show appearances. ​

Might this smaller Prius also be sold as a Prius in 2009 as a 2010 model? Is there room, today, for both a full-sized, larger Prius and a smaller, city Prius? ​

At this point there are simply more questions than answers regarding the 2009 / 2010 Toyota Prius. However, Toyota has indicated that it would debut a new unique hybrid at NAIAS in 2009, so the picture should clear greatly then.

If gas prices stay high, Toyota's third generation hybrid vehicles, especially the Prius, appear to have a bright future, regardless of when lithium finally starts powering next generation hybrid vehicles. ​