Hello, I am interested in getting a Prius but am wondering if the plug-in will be available on all trims as a standard overall improvement of the Prius, or just available on the more expensive trims?
The plug in version is not expected till 2012 so no one can answer definitively. Though i would be surprised if plug in becomes standard across the line.
That's a shame. I may just settle on a '11 then, but I can wait a bit longer as my current car is paid for and isn't dead (yet).
Anything about the Plug In at this point is pure speculation as nothing definitive has been put out there by Toyota on final product.
They expect to sell/make only 20,000 of them world-wide in the first model year. I'd be suprised if there were color choices let alone trim levels.
Remember - what we see in the demonstrator is pre-production and does not reflect the trim, final technology, or features that may be present in the final car. I'd safely suggest the NAV unit in the current PHV is probably not what we'll see in the final car because it's simply too generic.
hmm, actually my seller said Toyota (at least the japanese base, where we get ours) was going to offer the pre-phv 3rd Gen Prius owners the possiblility to have it converted to PHV in about 5yrs. He said nothing about the trims that'll get it... I don't know if that's what you're asking about... I think it might possible but only if the official PHV Prius is successful. You know sellers, never know what they say is truth, but actually it would be a good move, Toyota quality conversion would be much welcome, and hell of competition to existent conversion companies. Couldn't find this information anywhere, I take it might still be unofficial stuff from inside the company...
If Toyota past is anything to go by, the PHV will be in the higher trim model. I would love to be wrong.
Nothing like that can be more than an idle prediction if it's that far off. I don't see PHV in all trims unless it costs only a small bit more, which it clearly doesn't (and even if it did after tax breaks, that rebate only is good for 250k units), so it would end up increasing cost by thousands and for some people be of almost no use (e.g. they drive long distances frequently and/or have nowhere to charge anyway).
