Consumers need credible information

hard to get credible info in any arena these days. as for ev's, the negative hype from big oil, detroit pols, auto dealers and stock shorts makes it even tougher.

 

they even lie about that

 

Here's a suggestion to all 'scientists': stop the climate change hysteria. It's hard to take them seriously when they took everything to 11 and ostracize anyone who even slightly disagrees. Promoting sh##tboxes like insights or fiat 500e like the 2nd coming of you know who doesn't add any credibility either.

 

I agree with the article. I live in Minneapolis which is fairly supportive of the environment and alternative transportation choices. Yet, in this metropolitan area there are only a half dozen 2019 Prius Primes for sale at the moment. The dealer that I am working with had a 2017 Prime Premium that was a loaner vehicle and when I drove it, it had no charge (because the dealer said they were not sure how to charge it and that the EV mode would be confusing to people who borrowed it while their car was in the shop). The sales guys at this dealership didn’t understand what a tax credit was—they thought it was an itemized deduction. Good guys but not informed. I was told that a 2019 Prius Plus would take 6-8 weeks. I ordered it a month ago and no word about the allocation in the Midwest. My guy says may be we are looking at 8-10 weeks. Is the Prime just an experiment by Toyota to see if it works and if there is interest? I don’t get it. When I bought my 2003 Prius there were not that many available either but Toyota was advertising the vehicle at that time. I remember seeing an ad in the National Geographic which got me interested in the concept. My 2003 now has 235,000 miles but it is burning oil and I’m told that I will need a valve job and hence my interest in a Prime.

 

prime is a compliance car. the term is defined by california's fleet mileage requirements. to make up for low mpg vehicles like tundra's and land cruisers, toyota gets credit for every prime they sell in cali and other reciprocal 'carb' states.

is it an experiment? probably, but in what, idk. will they ever allocate meaningful amounts to non carb states? i don't think we have that answer yet.

 

Thank you. I forget about California and it’s influence on the industry and distribution of this vehicle. Good observation.

 

hey mr hockey, if you want a prime have you considered a 2018 leftover? they are discounted 5k in the northeast region, ny / nj and dealers are offering 2k +/- discounts on top of that. theres still a few left over here. could likely snag a plus for under 24k OTD. then still take off the fed tax credit. bring overall price to under 20k...fly in, drive it home

 

in response to the OP, i think the biggest hindrance to EV adoption is the average American consumers preference for big suvs. no amount of EV promotion will overcome the irrational need for AWD 4WD just in case it might snow this year. Reality, it hardly snows at all in half the country. The irrational need for a giant safe tank for their precious brood... Reality, they arent that precious!!! lol

 

forget the brood, there are plenty of single occupancy tanks out there

 

Kinda reminds me of Over the Hedge when the forrest animals see their first SUV:

 

I’ve now had my Prime for 2 years. When I was interested in the Prime, only Burnsville Toyota had one to test drive, so I ordered one from there. They’re still rare birds in Minnesota. And I’ve never seen the Prime being promoted in commercials or print ads.

 

I actually contacted Toyota Cares about our interest in a Prime and their lack of availability. I appreciated them replying back to me. I don't think they would mind if I posted their reply:

Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

We appreciate your having owned so many Toyotas, and your interest in the Prius Prime.
Prius Prime brochure
Toyota dealers work with our regional offices to determine what vehicle, transmission, color and option combinations they feel will sell best in their geographical market, and request vehicle allocations accordingly. Because of this, some model configurations and options may not be available in your area, while other options may be available, but only as part of a combination of packages and may not be displayed on the Build & Price web site.

To determine if the specific vehicle you seek may be requested, please inquire with your local Toyota dealer. Your dealer will advise you whether a preference request can be submitted for your desired vehicle. This preference request does not guarantee you will receive the vehicle with the exact options requested, and may create an extended wait-time.

If you would like us to contact a specific Toyota dealer on your behalf, please reply to this email with the specific type of vehicle, including all options and colors that you are seeking along with your phone number and the name of the dealer you would like to work with.

Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

James F.
Toyota Customer Experience Center

 

Negative hype from big oil - I don't recall seeing negative hype from whomever "big oil" is - do you have an example?

Detroit pols - is this just local Detroit? I would think they would be for anything that would sell a lot of units and bring money into their town. Given that EV's are a small slice of the market and the profits are in what sells, is this surprising?

Stock shorts - I'm a bit lost on this part. Is this the stock market is sour on Tesla?

 

1) see koch brothers

2) no

3) not the stock market, just the short sellers

 

Do you have an example of negative hype from the Koch brothers? During my research on whether to purchase a PHEV I don't recall seeing any.

 

no, i just read it, i don't memorize it. and there are plenty of others, look around, it aint hard to find

big oil is every and any person or entity whose bread is buttered with fossil fuel

 

In that case, would you or I be included in that group if we burn fossil fuels in our vehicles?