The Prius c is Official: > 50 MPG City, 1.5-liter Engine, Pretty Colors

I was comparing with the other brands and forgot about Yaris Hatch. Prius c should weight about 100 lbs more than Yaris Hatch.

 

Will the Prius c have battery and MG materials sourced from a cheaper (lower quality and lower cost) supplier than the regular Gen III Prius?

Otherwise, why not offer the warranty?

.

 

How interesting. See I went from a 17mpg 1995 car to the Prius so my break even was a lot easier. But here, 20k compared to a 15k car the break even is, like you're implying, not really justifiable.

I think for a regular Prius it's a little more acceptable since we're looking at the same type of interior (as a regular midsize) whereas here, I would not ever consider buying the C due to its downgraded interior.

If it were 20k with typical Prius interior, that's a different story. It confounds me why it's in the same "family" as the regular prius but they made the fit and finish so cheap. To me, honestly, it looks like a 15k car which is just outside my realm of interest.

 

these are published figures, nothing to be sceptical... C is going to be a lot more expensive than Yaris, so they probably used more high tensile steel and aluminium to make it lighter.

 

AT-PZEV with 10 years / 150k miles warranty (with 45 MPG) used to get into California HOV lanes. That is no longer the case because a plug is now required in eAT-PZEV.

The lack of incentive is probably why.

 

Don't be too scared for the highway FE numbers because of the aerodynamics. The C has a smaller frontal surface area, which is the factor you have to multiply onto the CW coefficient when computing the energy used to maintain speed (ignoring all other factors such as rolling resistance, mechanical resistance, heat loss and so on). If we assume that the C has the same tires as the C, then we can compare them:

Prius vs Prius C:
CW: 0.25 - unknown
Width: 68.7 - 66.7
Height: 58.7 - 56.9
Ground Clearance: 5.5 - Unknown, but assume 5.5 as well.

Now we can find the CW that the C can is allowed to have in order to be as efficient as a normal Prius. Here I assume that the frontal areas of the cars are nearly identical, so it's legal to simply multiply with the ratios on both width and height.
0.25 * (68.7 / 66.7) * ((58.7-5.5) / (56.9-5.5)) = 0.267

That is. If the C has a CW of 0.267, then it will have the same drag as a normal Prius.
Here is a sample of CWs from similar cars:
1. gen. Toyota Yaris (1999): 0.30
2. gen. Toyota Yaris (2006): 0.29
3. gen. Toyota Yaris (2011): 0.287 (btw. weight for the diesel is 1162kg)
Nissan Leaf: 0.28

 

Sorry but you're repeating the arguments of 2004 and 2005 all over again which have all been proven to be faulty. Yes absolutely a buyer can get a less expensive vehicle than the Prius c and pay only $16K. This is the very same argument that was layed all over the iconic Prius when it began to take off in 04/05.

And it's true.

So why has the iconic Prius ( and now its siblings ) succeeded so well these past 5-7 yrs. The reason is marketing.

The marketers have identified that there was a significant segment of buyers who found significant utility in a $25000 Prius ( me amongst them ) when they could have spent only $18000 at the time and purchased a base Matrix. This is a basic economic concept from HS economics.

You may personally think that the price is too much given the interiors and the layout; so then you don't see the utility in spending the extra bucks. If the iconic Prius is an accurate metric there are millions of buyers who do see the utility in spending the extra bucks.

However that 'initial hybrid premium' fails after several years when the initial 'overly expensive' sales begin to be recycled back through the Used Car Lots. What is occurring now is that buyers have even more choices.

Right now today you can get a new Matrix or Mazda3 @ ~$20,000 or a 2 y.o. base Prius @ $19000. The first two get about 25 mpg day-in and day-out whicle the latter gets 50 mpg all day long. All three will last the driver well into the next decade. Which is the better buy? I know...'well what about a 2 y.o. Matrix/Mazda vs a Used Prius?' Well, a 4 y.o. Prius still kills the M/M couplet in fuel economy and it will continue to do so through its entire lifetime.

But basically the initial price is mostly irrelevent as long as it's not bumping up against its older brother. The buyers in this 'under $20K segment' now have one more choice... a vehicle that gets well above 50 mpg all day, every day. There is no other vehicle in NA now that can sell that point. That has value for a large segment of buyers in this pricing demographic.

Toyota has made a fortune doing just this for this segment here for the last 40+ years with the Corolla. It provides value and dead solid reliability to those who only want 4 wheels and 4 doors to get from A to B. If any company knows this market and can make a new entry fly here it's Toyota. The Prius nameplate certainly helps.....marketing.

 

Again, it IS a $15-$17K car with the THS added. You cannot get a $15-$17K vehicle that gets well over 50 mpg. There is none available....except for the Prius c.

As you noted the interiors are not your cup of tea so you'd pass. There is no one-size-fits-all. You see utility in a nicer interior like the current Prius has. Another buyer will see utility in the lowest fuel usage in the segment, the Prius reliability, the Prius resale value, a lower price point than any other new Prius, the styling and a whole host of other personal benefits. It's a huge and growing segment that has many layers.

 

It might be that and the '11 Yaris isn't PZEV anyway. I'd also imagine it's one way of reducing costs and thus reducing the price tag to the consumer. I'm sure Toyota must have some HV battery warranty replacement margin/budget along w/some prediction of failure rate within warranty (as they should for the entire car). Not providing a 10 year/150K mile warranty would reduce costs.

Also, since there's no predecessor to the Prius c, people can't really say Toyota took a step backwards.

 

It is 0.28.

Ken@Japan

 

Do you know if Prius c (or Aqua) has a spare tire?

 

Following is only applicable to JP Aqua only.

Aqua L (low end): spare tire as standard
Aqua S (mid grade): puncture repair kit as standard, spare tire as optional
Aqua G (high end): puncture repair kit as standard, spare tire as optional

Ken@Japan

 

I'm assuming that in the United States, a spare tire will be standard. I can't imagine Toyota releasing the Prius c with a "patch kit." That wouldn't go over well with the media or the public. And I'm sure competing automakers would be sure to make consumers aware of this.

 

Thanks. So it is not as aerodynamic as a normal Prius, which isn't good for highway FE.

But it might still have fantastic city FE.
/me crosses fingers.

 

You mean like they're doing with the PiP?

More manufacturers are ditching the spare tire to reduce weight.

My wife has said, after the experience of changing a tire at night in freezing conditions, next time she'll call a tow truck.

 

Funny that the cheap one gets a spare.

 

I've been in a similar situation. Getting dark in winter, super cold and windy. Glad I had a spare, but definitely needed some help from a tow company!

 

As said before in this topic, drag comes from Area x Cd. This Prius c should have smaller Area to cope with.

 

Ken's link had cdA of the prius c 106% of the prius. So 48/106% = 45 mpg highway if everything else would equal, which its not. I don't know which engine is more efficient or rolling resistance. IMHO it is unlikely highway mpg is over 49 though.

 

Try to trace my Ken's quote one step further back to see my calculations on the subject.