First Gen 5 2023 Toyota Prius cars show up at the dealers!

I'm sorry, but you're wrong about your definitions. Check my post above with the timeline I got from my dealer earlier today(which was a screenshot from Toyota). (Mine is a Prius AWD Limited, not a Prime.)

Build phase = factory + ro-ro
Transit phase = at port facility
Transit phase with estimated delivery date = on a train/truck on the way to the dealer

The Chesapeake Highway cars are the ones that just shifted from build to transit.
The Libra Leader cars are the ones that just popped up as build phase.

Not all cars appear on Toyota.com. It's up to each dealership depending on how they handle reserved/paid for cars.

 

I recall when fourth gens started being built and arriving for sale; seemed a lot simpler, quicker.

 

Some of that could be due to the ease customers can get more detailed info. I don't recall people tracking the ships when I got my gen2.

 

Oh, absolutely. We have so much more data available at our fingertips now. I don't think that the process is taking all that much longer, just that we're becoming aware of info much earlier in the process than we used to be. We still don't have access to ALL the information the dealerships have available to them, but we have a lot more than we used to.

 

Side note: You can get an idea of production rates by looking at VINs. The last batch of numbers are incremental. Currently, the highest Prius VINs are in the 7000s and the highest Prime VINs are approaching 2000. I don't know if these numbers reflect worldwide production or just that production being sent to the US market.

 

Gen 4 was released pre Covid

 

This is only true of Prii coming from the same manufacturing plant. Each plant has its own sequence numbers.

 

But I believe the only Prius assembly lines are at the Tsutsumi plant in the Aichi complex. All current VINs have a 3(Tsutsumi) in that position, and the official Toyota Prius/Prime VIN decoder doesn't list any other options.

VIN
JTD - Japan Toyota passenger car
A - 5 door hatchback
C - FWD or D - AWD
A - 8 airbags or B - 9 airbags (I don't know which markets are getting the extra center airbag, but it doesn't seem to be the US)
A - HEV FWD(60), B - HEV AWD(65), C - PHEV(61)
U - Toyota Prius/Prime
9 - check digit
P - 2023MY
3 - Tsutsumi Plant
xxxxxx - serial number

So if the first Prius off the assembly line was a HEV FWD, it would have had a VIN of: JTDACAAU9P3000001.

The three core models available to the US are referred in tech documents as ACAAU(Prius), ACACU(Prime), and ADABU(Prius AWD).

 

beauty is in the eye of the beholder. reviewers love it because they hated the past iterations. i think it looks pretty good, a little civicish

 

although i like the lines of gen5, i appreciate the utilitarian design of 2, 3 and 4. more headroom, larger hatch, 15" wheels are all beautiful to me

 

Have you seen the new Prius in person? Photos don't even begin to capture its form IMO. The view from slightly above as you approach from the rear (that sounded weird lol), is breathtaking. A lot of the photos make it look like a simple wedge. It is so far from that! When looking at the bulging rear fenders, the first thought I had was, "A set of fat racing tires would look perfect under there." Of course I will never do that to my car, but somebody likely will.

 

https://www.toyotaofoxnard.com/new/Toyota/2023-Toyota-Prius+Prime-oxnard-ca-aa1d8cf60a0e0a9314f4bcc54eb34308.htm
Link no longer works...I'm guessing they sold it.
I saw a blizzard white pearl in person at Toyota of Olathe. It is a very different Look. (think hey this is my sexy Italian cousin and she likes to be pinched) Which is what they are going for in the Prius now. The space, MPG, and rear room took a hit for sure. But shiny things sell.
The cargo room in this car is jus under 4 feet of cubic space. Which is just enough room to carefully fold up that leather jacket and store it for later.
Oh it is also fast and sporty. I've seen them for a tick over 59K MORE than the 2023 Prius XLE

 

Ahhh Leewood, Ks. Was just there last weekend. What a tremendous "little city".

 

My Limited cleared processing in record time. lol

Slated to start processing yesterday and finished this morning. A nice side benefit of removing all port installed accessories except the mud guards and rear bumper protector. Should be at the dealer between the 17th and 22nd.

Now I've just got to accelerate work on my two vehicles to get them ready for trade. Replaced a door lock actuator on Sunday, putting an OEM backup camera(used) in and tightening the rear spoiler today. Then mostly some light paint correction, interior and exterior detailing, and one last sand and coat for the headlights.

If you want a near-perfect, low-milage, silver 2010 Prius II with a few modest upgrades, there will be one soon on a lot in central Minnesota.

 

I love EVERYTHING about my Gen 4 ......including the look!.......puts a smile on my face, each time I close the door .....going or coming...

 

My view is Gen 4s (pre-restyling) are such misunderstood cars design-wise.. unapologetically Japanese