Gen 4 Prius Delayed Until Late 2015 | Plug-in Late 2016

I still think Toyota has a few things going for them with Prius.

Yes the competition in alternatives has increased, but I see that as a good thing overall.

For me? Not being particularly rich, the standard Prius represented a 50mpg hybrid, that was accessible and relatively affordable.

I can't really look at pure EV plug ins due to my living arrangements, and Tesla and Volt are out of my price range.

That being said, I DO hope the delay is indicative of Toyota striving to bring as improved a product as possible forward in the next incarnation.

You can only be the "next" new thing for so long, and with competition and years and years of success the unique Prius charm has probably worn off. This is no longer the " strange to the mainstream" vehicle it once was, to an extent it has become a victim to it's own mainstream success.

My ego doesn't need to be driving the "latest" thing. For me the Gen 3 Standard Prius represented on one level, the ability to drive a comfortable, utilizable, and reliable 50mpg hybrid, for what was around a $22,000 investment- new.

As least where I live, driving a Prius has become so common that having one doesn't inspire the "coolness" or "hip" factor it once did. Toyota may be striving to recreate a level of that with the next incarnation. But for me? The Prius is still the iconic, most mainstream, accessible hybrid family of vehicles available from any manufacturer.

I don't really think a delay in release will hurt Prius. The Gen 3 by automotive standards may be getting long in the tooth..BUT while the Gen 3 has been manufactured, Prius expanded the brand to include the "family" of Prius. So it's not like there hasn't been movement and expansion within "Prius".

Ultimately I think a delay will mean nothing. What improvements or what product Toyota eventually offers will be key. Toyota will be fine, as long as when they DO release gen 4, I'm at least thinking about wanting a Gen 4. I'd rather a delay, and Toyota bring forth something significantly special, than a quicker to market product that is a rushed compromise.

 

How's that Prius running with those 170,000 miles on it.Is it using any oil yet

 

Well. I have a 2005 with 160k miles. No oil leaking from anything. Only had water pump leaking at 116k miles and replaced, and shocks/struts replaced at 130k miles. ICE feels like it just broken in. The only potential issue is the battery not as strong like it used to. I see the battery is 2 bars from full in most days now unlike new. Don't know how long the battery will last, but it has been good and still running for 9+ years. Brakes are still 80% new.

Guess with a battery swap in the next few years, this thing could run for another 10+ yrs easy with another 150k+ miles.

So I don't see bestmapman having any issue any time soon besides normal wear parts. Battery, his is probably in way better condition than mines as time is bigger issue to the Prius' battery than mileage.

Seen someone swapping a 2004 Prius battery after going 300k+ miles at my local mechanic shop. He said that Prius still runs like new with only regular maintenance.

 

Long in the tooth?!?!
Anyone here ever own one of the air-cooled beetles?

 

Yea, I did. Two ('71 & '74). They were heated in the summer, and cooled in the winter. Inexpensive transportation at the time.

I concur. I'm very happy and content with my eighteen month old 2012 Prius Plug-In Advance. I'm on Toyota's five year, 0% interest payment plan. No incentive to pay off early. It will be interesting what the future Prius holds. I hope I can resist being swayed by improved competitor products in the interim.

 

VW has another "long in the tooth" model...Phaeton...which has been said being produced at dramatic losses by the way.

 

Runs great. Oil changes at the 10,000 miles interval, with full synthetic. No significant oil usage. Oil is down a little bit by the time the oil is changed. No repairs at all other than standard maintenance. I changed tires at 70,000 and 150,000.

 

Prius liftback sales (non plugin) are down 17.9% for the year which is more than any other car in top 20 car sales or top 30 of all vehicles (it + plugin on both charts).

At least plugin Prius is up in sales.

 

accounting for all the new toyota hybrids and the competition, it looks like lift back decline is leveling off and settling in. until the competition steps up their game, i think toyota will retain the top spot for a long time to come. what this means for delaying the new generation is anybody's guess.

 

To me, reliability is everything...

I'll wait until Toyota gets it right.

GM and Ford comes out with products, makes outrageous mileage claims, and then back tracks.

Then, GM recalls about almost everything.

I'll WAIT.

 

Well yeah - but keeping stuff old is that important, in order to make their environmental albatross - the fuel cell car, more palatable.

It'd be great - if Toyota would just plain ol' SUPPORT the PiP - by selling it in all 50 states! But as stated above & in other posts (and I agree) the better the PiP & it's cousin hybrids are - the harder it'll be to push the FC agenda.
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I've been waiting for the if-it-does-not-plug-in-it-does-not-count people to say their piece before chiming back in. Their refusal to look at the entire market is not helpful...

The goal for the past 14 years is to replace traditional vehicles with a choice that's cleaner and more efficient. Remember Toyota's milestone set for 2020? That means competing directly with all the other vehicles currently available. Growth is necessary, which is what makes the 4th generation such a big deal. Gas prices as well as their associated taxes will inevitably go up. People won't be driving non-hybrids forever.

For those hoping to upgrade/replace sooner, you'll end up stuck with a vehicle which should hold out in the meantime and has a proven record of retaining resale value even when the next generation rolls out. Not getting to trade-up when a lease expires is an interesting situation, since we've dealt with long delivery waits in the past anyway. Hopefully, that will work out.

It makes sense that Toyota is stating intent so directly. For those sitting on the fence, you can now firm up your own plans... especially now that we see how the competition is with hybrids. They won't even be able to compete directly with the current Prius hybrid system. Toyota's improvements to next will be nice.

As for the plug-in model, there is a decent opportunity to finally expand beyond the initial 15 states. Yeah! Education about its purpose and how it actually works is going fairly well. We've seen a clear improvement based on the questions here and the reduction of rhetoric elsewhere. Sales didn't plunge when HOV sticker availability ended either. That was good news. Retaining sales at the current level will be even better. That, combined with advertising and ample supply, will make full rollout nationwide realistic. Remember, it's not just consumers that need convincing, it's the dealers too.

 

Not really a fair test. Because there was already a bill in CA to add 15K more stickers. Any car salesman upholding his "used car salesman honor" who found any hint of a leaning towards the PIP from a buyer would have been assured on a stack of fake bibles that this bill would pass. Oh, and it did.

Mike

 

It at least helps with dealer reluctancy though... especially since volume has clearly increased from last year.

And what if the new states offer the same type of incentive?

At least if sustaining or growth doesn't work out, it's independent of other efforts.

 

mass just added a $1500. incentive. between government and manufacturer incentives and disincentives, gas price volatility and other variables like the polar vortex, it's almost impossible to do anything but look at long term sales numbers.

 

There has been a decent opportunity to expand sales for over a year.
Education would have been faster if people actually saw relatives, coworkers and neighbors driving PiPs around.
I have seen zero efforts on Toyota's behalf to educate people about the PiP.
The only reference to plugin vehicles in general has been the Lexus commercials denigrating plugin vehicles.

 

Faster is not better, especially in this case. That has overwhelmingly been confirmed with the fallout from the other plug-in offerings. Each has had some type of backlash to deal with. Toyota opens the door to those interested. They don't push to ordinary consumers for the next step. That approach has worked well. Why change with the plug-in model? They currently want PHV buyers to be those who seek it out, who will actively share info and seek advice. Limited availability is a mixed blessing. I look forward to the day when the plug-in will be an ordinary choice to consider. It certainly isn't that yet for the mainstream... even though the technology itself is.

Question for you is: What could Toyota realistically do to educate?

Carefully consider that, thinking about how regular hybrids like Prius are still looked upon.

 

That's what the Honda Insight and Prius C were for: Attract buyers to buy a hybrid below $20,000 cost. And the idea worked, with Insight setting sales records (until the C arrived and people chose that instead). I suspect the C will continue being the low-cost leader while the Prius hovers around 25,000.