What about the quality of the Prius? I see that someone sells something to protect the underside and something else to strengthen a strut? That does not sound very good and says maybe it's not made so well.
True that....except that they also are aware of what's going on in the fuel market. Prius' again are the hottest item in the entire industry. For the past two years we've had them on the lot for immediate delivery with another 30-40 enroute. Now we're down to 4... period. Every new order is the same as it was back in 04 and 05. Place order with deposit. With fuel breaking $3.50 - $4.25 across the country demand is outstripping supply .... again. And while NA is the largest market for the Prius it's not the ONLY market. If Toyota is jumping production by 60% as announced a good part of those vehicles may be diverted away from the US due to the very weak US$.
I was at the Toronto Green Living Show last week and Toyota rep told me that the 2009 model will be introduced at the Detroit auto show in Feb 2009. I also saw the Hymotion plug in for the City of Toronto (they have 6 of them) The one on display has been getting the best MPG at 2.5 l / km driven mostly in the city although they drove it from Toronto to Sudbury once. I believe that's about a 300 mile trip each way.
The new battery pack will cost approx. $10,000 to add to cars made from 2004 to 2008. It will increase your mileage from the 40's to 100. That sound pretty goo, but would take a long time for the difference to pay for the up grade.
Well then what is more likely to occur is a 2009 model released in Summer'08 (with minor adjustments from the 2008 model) and the new gen released in 2009 as a 2010 model.
That isn't the case at all. The strut brace will improve chassis stiffness but that is the case with all production cars with McPherson strut suspension. There is nothing wrong with the standard Prius but some people like a stiffer shell for handling. This type of accessory is available for performance models like Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru WRX which have excellent handling but for most people unacceptably harsh ride. The bash plate provides additional protection for the engine and trans for people who drive on rough stony roads or heavy snow and ice covered roads, for smooth tarmac there is no need.
It's almost summer in Maine, but I will be investing in the BT Skid plate before winter starts. The roads get pretty bad up here. Hey Patspark, I am married to a Pommy. She worked/lived in Sydney in the early early 80s. Her initials were up on the Sydney bridge somewhere, crazy British nurses.
Price drop? The US$ has fallen at least 15% from it's recentl level vs the Yen. Since the Prius is the best insurance policy againsts rising fuel prices and because Toyota is a 'for profit' business enterprise I'd expect continued price increases across the board this year and next year and the next year and the next year..............until the US$ stabilizes. As long as the US$ is in freefall or until the Prius is made here and as long as the cost of fuel makes the Prius the best option on the road I wouldn't expect any price decreases at any time in the future. Case in point this is the end of this Gen's 5th year, a time when most vehicles go begging for buyers by incentivized rates and attractive rebates................on May 15th the Prius base prices will increase $400!!!!! That's huge BTW.
2009 Prius photos and more details on Road & Track and Yahoo websites: Road & Track Magazine - Exposed: 2009 Toyota Prius (5/2008) Exposed-2009-Toyota-Prius- Yahoo! Autos Article Page
Grossly inaccurate information. Yes it is true for aftermarket conversions done one by one by hand. It is not true for automated production in the 100's of thousands of units. But the bigger issues are Durability, Reliability and Warrantability. None of these are yet proven yet for the new battery packs. That's why the whole technology is being delayed several years.
I agree with phish, don't expect a price drop even when the new models are on the lot Bloomberg.com: Japan
I have had numerous performance cars that needed the extra stiffness provided by the strut tower brace. However I do not see the need to have one for the PRIUS. This car was built for high MPG not high performance. The tire are low friction and are not great for high speed cornering. So if you looking to add a strut tower bar then you might want to change out the rims and tire for performance replacements.
Would you please visit a Toyota dealer in the US and ask for MY2008 Prius? Then, please report the result on this thread. Ken@Japan
A good news is Toyota Canada reduced the MSRP $1,900 to $27,600. TOYOTA CANADA : Vehicles > Pricing Ken@Japan
Hybrid Prius – 2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid Car Site Still showing the 2008. MY2009 not out yet. Same for the Canadian Toyota web site. Are the 2009s out in Japan? what were the minor changes between 2008 and 2009?
um... maybe, the build/start chart is for fleet customers. In Japan, there is no model year classification. Ken@Japan
