Looks like Toyota is increasing the price of the 2019 Prius c... 2019 Toyota Prius C preview: $900 price increase, fewer options
This is the manufacturer's recommended price, correct? Most buyers will be getting the 2019 "c" for a couple of thousands less.
Err, read carefully guys. This is an increase over a Prius c ONE. The Prius c One was pretty spartan anyway. The "L" is equipped like a Prius c Two so the real price difference is only $100.(The 2018 Prius c is $21,450 plus $920 dest. = $22,350) It also looks like it adds TSS-P (instead of TSS-C)... or at least TSS-C with the added pedestrian detection (but without DRCC).
to be fair, the headline is click bait, and the article is poorly written and confusing. but i also blame toyota for continuing to confuse an already poorly defined vehicle family.
But the changes still aren't going to help sales here. Without the One, the Prius c is immediately knocked off the under 20 grand shopping list. With the Prius One still available, Toyota is doing to the Prius c what they did to the Insight 2, and then the Ioniq Blue is less than a $1000 more than the c L.
That's fair. But again, the Prius One is really spartan - cheaper fabric, one-piece rear folding seat, integrated front seat headrests, no cargo light etc. While it may seem like a price hike, hopefully the equipment on the L is there to justify the price (Does the Ioniq Blue come with AEB or auto high beams that are on TSS-C?)
It was a loss leader on the retail side. Most likely opted for a higher trim, but without it, people looking to buy will see a starting MSRP of over $22k now instead of under $20k. Not minor in these price ranges. It's doomed considering the Corolla starts at $18,600 and the Yaris at $15,635. Those are for the L, not a stripped trim normally reserved for commercial sales. The Blue doesn't have the advanced safety aids, but I suspect many will choose the bigger car with better fuel economy over those if the difference is in the $630 range. That's less than the upgrade to the LE c.
The platform is old but looks like they are still trying to keep it fresh (mostly in japan, with some premium interior touches トヨタ アクア | 価格&グレード | 特別仕様車 Crossover“Glam” | トヨタ自動車WEBサイト). The '19 Prius c styling looks fun but I have never driven one, might swing by Carmax and try it. After my fling with the Rav4 HY I'll probably be going back to something smaller next year. Honda could possibly outfit their next gen Fit with Hybird or EV around 2020. Will be interesting to see if Toyota releases something new or moves in a different direction.
