2014 Prius Plugin price drops - $2k and $4.6k, no reduction of features.

Ahah, I knew it...but damn why can't they match the volt drop...anyone know if government incentives are still out there?

 

Yes of course federal $2500 tax credit for PiP and tell me your state I will tell you if you have a state credit too. The USA federal tax incentives apply until 100000 vehciles of a specific model are sold and no plug-in is close to that. Some observers believe the tax credit program for Plug_ins will be changed before any model actually reaches the limit.

 

There's some de-contenting of the advanced model in order to get that big price reduction. You will now have to pay extra for the following:

"The 2014 Prius Plug-in Advanced will offer DRCC (Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, PCS (Pre-Collision System), LED headlights and fog lights as part of an optional Technology Package for customers seeking the highest level of technology."

 

Basically, you get a $2010 drop for both levels. If you get the advanced with the tech package, the overall MSRP drop would be $2010, just like the base package.

 

arghhh!!!!!

 

To the people freaking out that they got screwed because they already bought a PiP....and to the people that are surprised that the PiP is that close in price to the regular Prius.....

They may have dropped the price, but this means that they will just not be offering near as much in incentives. It's a classic car selling trick. I guarantee you won't see $4500 incentives combined with 0% financing along with this current reduction.

In other words I really feel that the cars will ultimately be selling for about the same (maybe a hair cheaper) than what they have been over the last 5 or 6 months.

 

Competition is good. I thought under $30k was how they should've launched.

 

Did they say they're going to make the PiP available nationwide? It was the inability to get it in PA that stopped me and changed my mind to get a standard Prius.

 

Who's really surprised? It's common for technology to continue to improve with falling prices. I purchased my first VCR in December 1977. I paid over $900. Blank two hour VHS tapes were $25. I first saw a 17" LCD flat panel computer monitor at a computer show almost twenty years ago for $2500. Less is better, when we're dealing with price. Better technology, lower prices is music to my ears. All my current technology will be replaced with newer, better, less expensive replacements as I see the need. No whining here on the price I paid (obligated - 0% interest) for my new 2012 Prius Plug-In Advance, then or now.

 

It really isn't a fair comparison to compare technology based on information flow and calculations to large items like cars. Electronic devices improve and get cheaper because, as the technology advances fewer and fewer electrons (by orders or magnitude over a few years) must be moved in order to transmit the same amount of useful information. This isn't true in the amount of power needed to propel a car, whether it be gas, gas-electric hybrid or pure EV.

Mike

 

Ok what do you know about MAss?

 

Thanks for the explanation Mike. Either everything thing you wrote is high tech scientific "mumbo jumbo" (commonly defined as: senseless or pretentious language, usually designed to obscure an issue, confuse a listener or the like), or I'm a idiot. I still believe what I wrote has bearing with improved technology at lower prices. I see you reside in Silicon Valley, so I will yield to the gentleman from Silicon Valley. Just having fun with "some" of my reply.

 

Not exactly. While it doesn't advance as fast, battery tech is advancing 8-10% a year.
In full EVs, the battery is the biggest single cost. So as that decreases, the car's cost can also go down.
Improvements in assembly due to quantity or just getting good at something new (Tesla has and is most likely to see advances in this area since they were so new to the industry) also help.

 

What about Canada!!?!?!?!?!

 

What do I know about Mass? Let's see, stop signs are optional...OK...it's coming to me....
Taxxachusetts? are you kidding me? you do NOT get an Plug _in incentive (for PiP). Sorry.
Hang on though...yes...mini-incentive is that Mass is CARB state so you have 150000-mile 10-yr batt warranty!!
I consider that decent plus!

 

This should help those shopping in 2014 and are undecided between non-plug and plug-in models. It will also leave room for a price bump when the 4th gen's arrive for 2015 and offer greater efficiency.

 

Yes, batteries are getting better...but it still takes about the same number of electrons to turn a motor of a given HP (within a few percent) as it did 30 years ago. While in computers it takes about one millionth as many to do the same calculation as it did back then.

And yes, there are all sorts of other economies of scale in manufacturing and other improvements of a few percent or even a few percent every year. But NOTHING on the scale of the improvements in electronics (via Moore's Law) that shows a doubling in computational power every ~2 years. (Essentially the same or slightly higher cost part is the same size/area and does 2x the work...or you can get the same processing power at ~half the cost). But you cannot buy one millionth of the processing power for one millionth of the cost.

Mike