Prime destined to be doa?

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I'm going back directly on topic. IMHO, Prius Prime is a complete and utter failure already. No way it will sell in any substantial numbers with such a low EV range and ridiculous interior configuration in the back. Volt, Bolt and other imminent competition have already killed any reason for anyone to buy Prius Prime. Add low gas prices into the mix, and Prius Prime is DOA.

 

normally the federal & state incentives would help sales, but unfortunately dealerships often price gouge new offerings. With state & federal discounts many dealerships feel incentives reduce prices - so no one will notice.
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Well, except for the Volt, which can also be considered as a BEV with Range Extender, the Prime has the best EPA EV range of all the PHEVs I've seen.

Not everyone needs 5 seats, and the two backseats may actually offer better comfort. In addition, it is the only PHEV offering an advanced heat pump which allows warming the battery during charging and cooling and heating the cabin.

I know the price and it is quite competitive. Wait and see!

It looks to me you should avoid a PHEV and shop for either a BEV or non-plug-in hybrid.

Jan

 

Don't forget the advantage the Prime has. One of which is a very large group of former and current Prius owners.
There were a fair number of Prius owners that moved on the the Volt. That was with all the baggage GM had with killing the EV1, bad mouthing the Prius, lower reliability, etc etc.
I expect the Prime to draw at least as many Prius owners.
Hopefully with the better reliability history, the Prime will also draw many more people from other manufacturers.

Some people are simply hesitant to move to a new technology. Look at how long it took for hybrids to catch on. And that was a fairly minor change.
Moving into a vehicle that has a lot of familiarity, yet still has a bit of new tech in it, may be appealing to many.

I think the biggest question is how many sales will simply cannibalize the Prius, and how many will be conquest sales.

 

I'm a current Prius owner seriously considering upgrading to a Prime. The Volt is a non-starter because the back seat has no leg room (it's uncomfortable for me, and I'm 5'6"). The Bolt is a non-starter because it can't be taken on road trips. The Tesla3 is a non-starter because it's too small, has too little range and too little charging infrastructure for long trips, and won't be available until years after I need it.

The Prime has the combination of sufficient range for me to get most places I go (work, flying field, most family) on EV only, and the range and "recharge" (fill-up) time to be practical on long trips, not to mention having the best efficiency of any midsized car in both EV and gas modes.

And, with the tax breaks, a top-of-the-line Prime will effectively cost less than a 2016 Prius Three Hatchback.

 

i was a skeptic until i saw the, uh, (pricing)

 

Isn't it great?

 

...I'm green with envy.

 

I'm in the cannibal group I guess. I dislike my gen 3 and am strongly considering the prime, financial hit and all.

 

I'm certainly in the cannibal group too - I'm either buying a hatchback or a Prime, definitely not a Volt, Bolt, Leaf or Tesla.

 

While I don't currently have a Prius, I was planning on getting a regular Prius within the next few years but since Toyota announced the Prime - it's all I want and I'm planning on getting it ASAP.

I agree with Lee Jay. Don't like the Leaf, Bolt, Volt or Telsa. For one, a pure electric car wouldn't work for me. Also don't like the look of those cars. Combine that with all the stuff Prime has over those cars like the higher MPG rating - makes the choice very easy for me. This is also coming from someone who doesn't exactly 'need' a new car. Just simply wanted a Prius for past several years for the increased MPG.

 

We wish to replace our 12 years old Avensis T25 break AT4 running on LPG for > 120,000 km w/o any problem, the car totalling 160,000 km.

I already decided not to buy a Gen 4 Prius, and hesitate between buying the Prius PHV (my favorite), a 1 year old Audi A3 e-tron (same price), or make our Gen 2 Prius our long distance car, and buy an Ampera-e or more probably a Renault Zoé (with the new 40 kWh Battery) as our 2nd car.

One of these PHEVs would be more comfortable and a better ride at German highways speed (140 - 150 km/h) then our Gen 2 Prius, which I only drive at max 120 km/h.

Our daily profile would be > 95% EV, and we make > 400 km trips only once every few months. We also make frequent 200 km trips in nearby Black Forest and France.

Jan

 

i think toyota plans to sell 60,000/year to start, so, for someone to quote the engineer who said he would like to see 200,000 and already planning to call them out when they don't meet it, is being disingenuous imo.

 

200,000? Those kind of numbers almost make the hydrogen numbers look reasonable.

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Well, many in this thread said that it all depended upon pricing. Pricing is here, so I think we can end this thread by agreeing there will be no DOA cars hitting the salesrooms. In fact, I think the patient will be quite healthy.

 

The price, in my mind, was the biggest question.
I was happily surprised by how attractive a price they settled on.

The Prime still has unknowns such as availability, dealer support and marketing. I don't feel those are live or die issues though, just a question of how well the Prime does.

 

The Volt 2 is nice looking, and it is a great
improvement. But, it doesn't come close to the Prime's open highway capability/
ICE efficiency..

My choice, hands down.

 

It's strange how things can turn around .
I didn't like it at first and thought the regular gen. 4 Prius looked way better,especially the front,but now I am absolutely in love with it,especially those cool headlights !
I guess it's true what they say,that the more money a man has,the more attractive he gets to women.
Must be the tech what got me,but who knows,tables may turn again once I see the trunk in real life .
I am praying for some kind of a miracle,that Toyota somehow got that floor down at least maybe one or two inches for the production models.
BTW has anyone seen a picture of the prime with the "Tittanium Glow" colour?
Sounds to be an interesting colour to me !

 

I agree. I do love the looks of the T3 and think it will be an awesome car. But I make 300-400+ mile daily round trips a few times a month so it just wouldn't work for me.

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