4th generation coming 2015!

I see a LOT of older people driving Prius' gen I, II and III. But you never know. There's a knockout 20 something gal end of the block who drives a Gray gen II.

 

it would be interesting to see sales of a non hybrid prius. but seriously, if you made it look like a mazda or something sportier, at the prius price point, how much would sales go up?if the demo of most prius drivers is on the back nine, it's more likely that young people can't afford the extra cost, just aren't into hybrids, don't see the environment as their personal responsibility, or give no thought to the lives lost over oil.

 

I get to see a pretty good number of Prii at work (an upper scale food store) and their drivers. In fact, our demographic / customer base is largely tilted towards the Prii, Leaf, Smart cars, Volts and Tesla crowd. Yes, many Prii drivers are clearly 45-65 (like myself), but to a slightly lesser degree I see probably (I'm guessing here) 25-40% of the newer Prii drivers that are well under that age group and can extend down to those in their middle or upper 20's. The Prii are no longer just a car for us baby boomers. The market is changing, and fast. So many hybrid options out there now; the young people seem to be all over them. Co-workers who have asked me about my car are all young.

I can see how Toyota might need to redesign for this shift with a sportier exterior. Perhaps the original Gen IV release candidate was thought to be too tilted for those my age and could lose the younger prospects. If that is true, then going more sporty and delaying the release was a good idea. Now if that good idea will look like the lower front of a shark, then I have problems with that. I just hope the design strikes a balance and doesn't look as hideous as the 2015 V, though I fear it might.

 

Are they not ideal Lexus customers rather than Toyota? Or is that what Toyota are thinking?

 

-I- don't personally think the "Manta ray" look is pretty or appealing. In fact I think it's appalling. So there Mazda and Lexus. I think the Prius "liftback" looks just fine, and I agree about the Aztek. There are a lot of styling cues used in it that are in the Prius liftback, just to a different degree.
But as you can clearly tell from my post and others before it, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some love the Cube. I just look and wonder if it's really as utilitarian as it appears.
Not sure why some think the Prius V is "hideous". I think it looks like a Prius. Best thing about this is all cars don't look the same, and if you really think one is "ugly" then you don't have to buy it. There is lots of choice.

 

What is the definition of "sporty?"
Mazda is mention above. I think most would agree it is a "sports sedan," and there are many vehicles that fit in that category. What about the small Fiat? A friend owns one and he thinks it is sporty. Small, agile, turbocharged engine, and loud.

Is "sporty" defined by: Appearance? Performance? Handling? Manual shift? Exhaust tone? and Exterior size? What about Fuel efficiency, low emissions, battery chemistry, EV range? Are they components of the "sporty" definition.

I'm sure we will all agree that it will be interesting to see the final product.

 

agreed! sporty is in the mind of the beholder, but 'car guys' probably agree on a few models.

 

Sporty? as in Ferrari "curves" or Playboy center-fold "curves"?

 

Need some advice:

I want to stay up on the latest news about anything that comes out about the next gen Prius...but this thread has become so busy with topics that are only slightly relevant to the original discussion that I can't possibly keep up with all the posts. So my question is, if I unsubscribe from this thread, will I still be able to get news about the next gen as soon as it comes out? And if so, where?

 

Danny would post it on the front page

 

Go to PriusChat thread entitled:
"Everything we know for sure about the Gen4"

You will see there is not much known.

 

Really there is nothing known , lots of wishes , lots of may be

 

Of course beauty is in eye of beholder, question is, how many beholders are there?

What is 'sporty'? BMW 328 is still considered benchmark sport sedan due to its blend of power handling and comfort.
I don't have a problem calling a car 'sporty looking '
Clearly the 2012 Mazda 3 hatch was sporty looking and pretty fun to drive but it wouldn't sell well as a hybrid.

 

I'm still very interested in what Toyota will do with the Prius regarding tech and possibly ugly design... however given my current Prius is only 2 years old so I'll likely pass on this next model. Can't imagine they will actually release something that will truly "blow me away" like the Toyota rep stated. Have a feeling the Tesla 3 in 2017 will be much more tempting and have that "blow me away" feeling.

 

no doubt, at twice the money. they will both be great cars.

 

@ twice the money? I should hope not!

 

me too.

 

You have a point there, sometimes the discussion here tends to sway in every direction. The way I see it however, is that the build up to Gen4 reveal can be as good as the reveal itself so I will continue to monitor this thread.

As Felt suggested earlier, you could monitor Everything we know for sure about the Gen4 | PriusChat
I am sure TonyPSchaefer will update it the moment we hear anything official from Toyota.

 

cmth - Naturally I agree with your post.

Whenever an authority, whether a car manufacturer, or a government leaders, provides no information about a product, or an international agreement, then naturally, wild speculation will occur, and such speculation can venture along strange tangents.

Obviously, there are many writer on this thread that are: 1) most definitely interested, 2) eager to contribute, 3) would like to have input into corporate's understanding of what the buyers are interested in, and 4) anticipating (and planning around) a major purchase.
Many are frustrated that so little is known about what we are all anxiously anticipating. And, I find it a little hard to understand. Most companies cater to their base (enthusiast). PriusChat is dedicated solely to the Prius badge.

Some have suggested that silence is just Toyota's way. I am not so sure,. They have revealed some information about future offerings of their other models. I am more suspicious that all the components of what Toyota wants to be a "trend setter" that will "knock your socks off" vehicle, have simply not come together yet. Some will defect and purchase elsewhere, but many of us will wait until the final product is "right." To produce the G4 before it is "right" would be a disaster.

 

chevy says volt will leave the competition in the dust. what competition? no ev/phev is for everyone. who will garner the most sales remains to be seen. will the new pip knock our socks off? not likely, but here's hoping.