I have been in Japan for the past three weeks on holiday and have had my eye out for gen 5s. I have only seen a handful here despite being all around Japan. Almost all have been white. There are lots of Prii, but not many new ones it seems. There don't appear to be many (if any) charging stations around in cities or the suburbs. I have only seen a few EVs including a few Hyundai Ionic 5s taxis, and some Teslas. There is one PHEV Mitsubishi SUV in our current neighborhood, but no EVs. I guess Japan is not getting that many Gen 5s either so don't be too jealous PS I even saw a Mirai in Nagoya (of course).
i don't think they are making many, parts constraints and maybe labor shortages. i have not seen one yet. electricity in japan is iffy, which is why they're so hot on hydrogen.
I didn’t know any went outside carb yet, I would not have even known that it launched if I didn’t dig
Speculation? Or has Toyota signaled that they're being cautious - possibly given the poor sales pre-pandemic of the previous gen?
they made the statement last fall with the auto show release. speculating that they are not convinced americans will be sufficiently interested, even with the improvements. i doubt they want them collecting dust on the lots, when some of the parts could have been used to make more profitable models. they said they woud build the same amount as last year, and if demand outstripped supply they would be thrilled.
This summer the government is asking people to conserve electricity this summer since I think they still have limited supplies since the Fukushima disaster. Typical home electric panels are 60 amps at least where we are. I can see how a lv2 evse would present challenges.
Ive been in Japan a month ago (partly nagoya as well) and I actually saw a lot of Gen 5s - even in red and yellow. Given we barely dont have them in Europe (yet), this was were I fell a little bit in love with them. Dealers had them as well but often they were with customers for test drives. When we checked them out they said its up to two years waiting time. As for EVs, independent from the hydrogen idea and the bad charging situation at Japanese homes, they just dont have so much pressure as well given they had a long strategy of tiny cars (kei cars) with tiny fuel consumption and now a huge amount of hybrids. Oh and a max speed of 60mph on most highways...
Japan originally got onto hydrogen because of the constant, reliable electricity generation from nuclear.
I was surprised to see how (relatively) inexpensive gasoline is in Japan now. It runs about 164 yen/l ($4.29 / gal) now. It used to be a lot more expensive than in the US. Electricity is based on a tiered system and is also not that expensive compared to parts of the US like where we live. Up to first 120 kWh 1kWh 19.88 yen More than 120 kWh to 300 kWh 26.46 yen More than 300 kWh 30.57 yen I have seen more new Crowns than gen 5 prius. They do look similar. Edited with correct gas price. I did not pay enough attention when I filled up last time!
We also have to remember, Japan is a lot smaller country than the US. Trips are bound to be shorter, making cars last a lot longer. I doubt if they buy 1/10th of the number of new cars that we do.
In Japan, due to the shaken (mandatory inspection) system people typically replace their cars every 3, 5, or 7 years. The cost of the mandatory inspection (and repairs) goes up a lot as cars get older. New cars are exempt for 3 years, then it is every 2 years. People don't drive as much as in the US, but they replace cars more frequently. Many people don't have (or need) cars if they live in cities. They are still essential in rural and some suburban areas.
