Prime not coming to WA State in 2016

That's a good example of effective greenwashing. Way back, Prius was the only midsize hatchback available here. So, it was unique anyway. The practical nature of the shape simply made the decision to try the hybrid easier. Attempts to conceal that advantage over competing sedans were spun by giving the greener choice a stigma. In other words, they didn't like the message, so they went after the messengers.

Notice how none of the advanced tech for the driver ever gets mentioned? People didn't buy Prius just for "green" alone. So, no amount of smug claims can conceal the detail of what really happened back then. So, there's no reason to think it will now either.

Prime is a balance of design. The choice to deliver 25 miles of EV was well thought out. Accepting size, cost, and weight tradeoffs wasn't realistic. You don't configure a vehicle for the masses that appeals to enthusiasts. Those are mutually exclusive audiences. Their preferences differ too much. So, don't get purchase advice for ordinary consumers from them.

Ask yourself, do mainstream buyers even care about being green? The market right now shows a strong desire for "good enough" efficiency. That means any appeal to eliminate gas use basically falls on deaf ears. That doesn't mean they won't be willing to spend a little bit on EV driving though. An affordable plug-in hybrid (that's profitable for the automaker without tax-credit subsidies) appears to be the ideal solution.

Toyota is giving it a try with Prime. The initial rollout won't be as fast as traditional vehicles or as widely spread, but the ramp up could following those introduction purchases could be quite impressive.

 

The Prius Prime is a 2017 model. It is still 2016. It is just impossible to get the car out to every state upon release. They aren't a small consumer good that can be held in a warehouse for a week or two.

Cars need to be registered within the owner's state. Some dealers are willing to work with out of state customers, others not.

I would think registering the car directly to your state from the dealer would have counted as delivery.

 

I live in Oregon and have purchased two motorhomes in CA. The only way to avoid paying sales tax in CA is to take out-of-state delivery. A driver drives your motorhome to the closest nearby state. Once you cross the state boundary you are met by a notary from that state who verifies that you have a non-CA driver's license. Some final paperwork is signed and notarized and you then take possession of your motorhome. A quick look for information seems to indicate that this is how a car purchase would have to be handled as well.

 

Take NH for example. We have no general state sales tax and a dealer can deliver a car to a customer and provide temporary registration and paper plates good for 20 days. If the buyer pays cash (no lien holder) the don't even have to provide proof of insurance coverage. If the buyer is from MA, ME or VT when they go to their local motor vehicle registration agency they will pay their state's sales tax and meet the requirements of their home state.

Contrary wise, if I as a NH resident buy a car in MA, I avoid their sales tax by bring my own NH registration, plates and insurance to the dealer when accepting delivery. MA does not have any sort of temporary registration and I've never had a need to check how ME and VT handle out of state buyers.

 

toyota can't even get parking brake clips delivered on a timely basis, what do you expect for whole cars?

 

Arizona:

https://www.azdor.gov/Portals/0/Procedure/TPP%2008-1.pdf

"A.R.S. § 42-5061(U) provides that for sales of motor vehicles to nonresidents from certain states, a deduction from the tax base is allowed so that the amount of state transaction privilege tax that applies to the sale is the same as the state excise tax that would apply in the purchaser’s state..."

https://azdor.gov/Portals/0/ADOR-forms/10600/10649_NonresidentTaxRates.pdf

Oregon's on the list; no delivery stipulations, but the purchaser is required to complete Arizona Form 5011 establishing residency in another state.

California:

http://www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub34.pdf

"You are generally not required to report tax on a vehicle that is sold and delivered for use outside California. You must establish that the vehicle was delivered to the purchaser outside California (for example, delivered by your employee or by common carrier), and that the purchaser did not take possession of the vehicle in California."