Prime destined to be doa?

That's why price will be key, as Bisco has previously mentioned.

The Prime will not sell in huge numbers. But if it is priced right (after fed credits and state rebates), it should pull some respectable numbers.

This will also require sales associates to know the Prime in sufficient detail and have a commission system that doesn’t disincentivize its sale. Doubt sales associates would get an extra bonus for Prime sales, but who knows.

Once a Liftback customer in the dealership has honed in on a certain trim level, the dealer could say “hey, if you can plug-in at home or work and don’t have more than 2 kids to routinely haul around, check-out the Prime…it has this extra tech and costs xxx less after fed/state incentives, let's take a drive…”

Lot’s of what ifs, but price after all incentives will be the key.

If nothing else, Toyota keeps developing PHEV system components and can upscale and even go full BEV with little trouble.

 

have you ever met a toyota salesperson? dianne being excepted of course.

 

Too true. They'll say, "So you want a hybrid?". Look at this Camry or Avalon Hybrid or if they have a family point out the RAV4 Hybrid or Highlander Hybrid because they'll make a lot more profit on those than the Prime. And end with "And you don't have to plug it in!".

 

as someone once said,

.

 

Very true. Unfortunately, in this case cloning humans has not been approved yet.

 

but i might buy one. even though i'm not the demographic toyota is looking for.

 

Yeah me too, but I'll probably wait for the 0% interest and/or $2,000 off clearance sales. The Prime does have one thing going for it, to me, it looks better than the Prius Liftback. People coming in to look at a Prius will probably do a double take when the salesperson points out, yes that's a Prius too. If the salesperson is knowledgeable they might get swayed by the tech and a possible federal and/or state tax credit doesn't hurt either.

And unlike Tesla, I don't think Toyota will hit the Federal limit for plug-ins anytime soon.

 

imagine a dealer with a lift back and prime inside the showroom? i can't. but then, we don't have those mega dealers around here. lucky if the typical showroom has 6 cars in it.

for the near future, i suspect prime shoppers will already know what it is, and will be shopping for a plug in. i don't see any features on the prime that will move camry/corolla/yaris shoppers it's way.

 

Hopefully these sales people will also acknowledge that: First, the Volt will be covering over twice the distance in pure EV as the Prime on full charges. And second, the more EV range, the more number of total drivers who will not be completely depleting the battery on a daily basis and won't need full re-charges.

 

If you had said that 5 years ago I would have called you crazy

 

why would they do that? more likely to say they heard volt doesn't even go 22 miles.

 

The Prime has a potential market for folks who want a Toyota class reliable car and a PHEV. Toyota may not be wowing folks with EV range, but quite a few buyers want reliability first, whether it is EV or ICE providing the assurance of getting there. This may be a larger market than expected. If it is, I hope that Toyota "gets the message"

 

Salespeople selling EV's aren't all that naive. Not much of an issue these days when some L2 charging solutions cost as low as $349 (though typically $449), and cuts 1/3 to 1/2 off that charging time. Anyone buying a Volt2 that gets the $7500 tax break will pop for an L2 almost immediately. I'm even considering the L2 option for the Prime, if I'm an owner of one of those within the year.

 

How would they assure the customer about installation cost?

Ask yourself how Toyota is able to sell so many Camry & Corolla.

 

Price that the average new car buyer can afford + Toyota reliability

 

That's why the EV range is kept within check. More places it out of reach.

 

Installation? For what? See the link (now edited). This is all they need to be now, assuming a 220v outlet is nearby. There's also a newer L2/L1 portable cable charger (I forget the brand/model) that converts from 110v to 220v, or back, at 20amp loads. The better and more expensive will still need 30amp and will reduce the L2 charging time a bit more.

(crap, amazon won't let me link to this cable charger)

Look up "Electric Vehicle Charger Portable Level 2 J1772 Station for EV Charging" at Amazon and it should be near the top. $349.

 

How many people do you know that actually have a 220v outlet available in their garage?

Over the past 4 years of owning a plug-in and talking about it (in person), I haven't encountered someone who actually did.

 

Around here, if the garage is attached, it is not too uncommon, or on the other side of the wall for the dryer. I'm probably having one installed just under the back porch about 8 feet away from the breaker box. I already have a 110v outlet there. I really doubt it would be a lot of money to run another. Now, with an unattached garage, maybe not so cheap at all.