Featured 2G Prius Plug-in Reveal - March 23 @ 9:10 am EDT - Live Stream here

I simply used the PDF owner's manual found on Toyota's website for the 2016 Prius. Perhaps the link was misdirecting to the 2015 edition, and I didn't notice. Considering that the Prius never had a tow rating previously, and some do tow with it, I would have thought the fact the gen4 or Prime could tow would have been bigger news here.

The site doesn't break out the commuter distance by mode. As presented, it would be perfectly valid to conclude 3.9% of people with a commute greater 35 miles one way walk to work.

And it would be a just as incorrect assumption to assume that 88% driven is evenly spread out among all the range sets.

I am not disputing that the Prime could cover 80% of commutes with EV alone if there access to work charging. I am disputing the implication in your posts that 80% of plug ins actually have access to work place charging.

The distinction there is important in determining how much gasoline a person with a PHEV will use. Then the definition of workplace charger is also important. An outdoor outlet is not viable long term solution even if it will charge the car.

If it is not correct, then neither is Toyota's 80% figure, since I determined it the same way. They added the percentages of the commuter distance sets, from the link, up to 20 miles, and rounded the 78% total to 80% to reflect that the Prime has a 22 mile range. I simply added up the sets, from the same source, to 25 miles one way distance. Which would be easily covered by the gen2 Volt's 53 EV range. I didn't factor in those 3 extra miles of range, nor assume the availability of work place charging.

Now, if you want to make statements about which PHEV uses less ICE fuel outside of commuting, you have to state the conditions(length of trip, how often, etc.) you are using.

My point is that without some defining framework, the statistics are useless for discussion.

Specifics about the product aside, marketing events are a suspect source for data. If the data used in them is correct, other sources should be easily available.

The 50%+ commuters uses less gasoline than most PHEVs is technically true, but looking at the details, it can be seen as stretching for hype. At the statistics link, 51% of commuters travel 20 miles or less round trip. A power search at Fueleconomy.gov for PHEVs of MY 2015 and 2016 yields 28 matches. Of those 28, 20 will use more gas than the zero amount the Prime will use with commutes covered by its 22 mile EV range. 16 of those 20 are luxury cars that may also be power hybrids. Some would be insulted by being counted as a Toyota competitor. A few wouldn't even be a daily driver by those that could afford them. Those that can afford them can afford a Tesla for their DD.

Unless Toyota is actually targeting the luxury market with the Prime, only the Audi A3 E-tron and BMW 330e might actually be cross shopped with the Prime. The i3 REX and Cadilac ELR go farther on EV than the Prime, but their Price likely will push them out of consideration against the Prime.

Of the brands and models left of those 28 a Prime shopper is more likely to cross shop in PHEVs are the Volt(2015 and 2016), Sonata PHEV(2016), the C-max Energi(2015 and 2016), and Fusion Energi(2015 and 2016). The Volts and Sonata have farther EV range than the Prime. The round trip distances have to extend out past 53, 38, and 27 miles before we need to start factoring in their lower CS fuel economy to determine when they will use more fuel. Leaving only the Fords uses more gas than the Prime on a commute, but the margin is thin; maybe 1% more of commuters will not use gas with a Prime while doing so in an Energi.

 

and when you say 'us', you mean 'them', right?

 

Actually, I did mean "us". That comes from spending so much time with the plug-in owners group here. We work hard to represent "them".

 

i wish you had told them, er, us, to make room underneath for the battery.

 

Prius Prime 11.6" Screen in action!
3 trims!
Prime 3
Prime 4
Prime 4 Advanced

 

A good coating of Rain-X would help.

 

scooped by cars.com? someone needs to have a word with toyota pr.

7" screen in the base model pricing and packages are going to be critical!

 

11 miles of range sounds like a joke, but really isn't. 11 miles can take care of surprisingly a large fraction of driving for a lot of people (true, not all people, but a lot of them). It will be interesting to see the increase in the fraction of EV driving with the new range at 22 miles

 

In the video just above ^^^^, what do the two or three (hard to see it well) buttons just below and left of the Park button do?

 

to the left? to the right is power, eco and ev.

 

Yes. Below and left. Seen @ 0:47 in. I think I answered my own question by reading the full press release again. Said it had as standard, electric heated front seats, meaning all trim levels. That's good, for all us Northerners. What I haven't found out yet is if any trim level might include power seats; either 6-way or 8-way, The GenI PiP had power seats AFAIK.

Still bummed about no signals in the side mirrors. How could they leave that out if the C has had them for 2 years?

 

yes, the advanced model had power driver seat. both models got heated seats and mirrors. i was hoping for heated steering wheel and windshield, but maybe the heat pump will take care of that.

 

Watching the CNet preview on my Roku right now. They have the hood open and a decent, yet brief, view of the engine. Also shown is a shiny black plastic front cup/phone holder area under the shifter. Does not look to be the optional cover. The shifter plate and steering wheel trim are still white.

 

i wonder if different trims will get different interior treatments.

 

I think Prime 3 will get the same 7" screen of Prius 3, however, Prius 3 has HVAC vents on top of the screen while the larger screen has vents on its sides.

 

after the base screen, 7" will look uge!

 

I believe many people are still wary of what the costs may be when the battery needs replacing, but that worry is stopping fewer and fewer people as they don't hear of horror stories of the battery going bad too soon. The longer warranties help as well as the thought that they can trade the car in before the battery warranty is up.

 

Prius Prime wont be cheap, loaded version will have Lexus territory pricing. IMHO of course but cues are in all the luxury touches.

 

Lots and lots of close-up pictures:

The Toyota Prius Prime’s high-tech interior has a ‘budget Tesla’ feel | The Verge

...and pictures of the power seats. Yes! (unless those are really tiny levers)

 

Noticed how nice the shifter area looks in black. So, big screen goes with JBL, Prius 4 has JBL

In race to out-tech Tesla, Toyota’s Prius Prime misses the point - SlashGear