5 ms·

Even Amid This Slump, Demand for Toyota Prius Is Insatiable

22 points by peter123 17y ago

pj 17y ago
I have a 2006 Prius and I drove it 300 miles the other day on the highway and averaged 53 MPG. It's spacious inside. My girlfriend and I can open the back and camp inside there. It's smart. It's good looking. For years it was worth more than I paid for it, partly because I have the California HOV stickers. But still, a vehicle that is an investment. What's not to love?
- msluyter 17y ago
  I'd agree with everything except for the good looking. ;) It's definitely a sophisticated car, but I've wondered about a couple of things: do TCO calculations for the Prius include the cost of upgrading the batteries? Will the depreciation accelerate as the cars age (and batteries wear) and as other hybrids enter the market? What is the environmental impact of building those batteries?
  - Alex3917 17y ago
    The batteries are covered by a 10 year warranty. And the entire battery would never fail, at worst you'd have to swap out one small piece of the battery which isn't very expensive. (The 2nd generation and later support this.) Of the million plus that have been sold, I read that something like only 3 people have had battery issues so far.
  - pj 17y ago
    Just to add to what Alex3917 said. I spoke to someone who had an older model Prius than I did. He had owned it for a while and said that he noticed a bit of fuel economy decline, but that's it. But, like I said up there, I've had mine for over 3 years and it still gets 53 MPG. As I learn to drive it better and let go of the need to go really fast, I get better mileage as well.
deleted 17y ago
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vaksel 17y ago
well its not that surprising, they just refreshed the car, so a lot of people are upgrading. Especially since the prius operates in the same trendy market, where people strive to have the best and latest.
- CalmQuiet 17y ago
  "Trendy market" does not describe the owners that I know. They usually rank high instead on either Green scale or cheap-skate scales. [ disclosure: I rank high on both ] If I had significant distances to drive I'd sure be watching to optimize my gov-sponsored rebate options to acquire one before $4 gas returns and jacks up competition for them.
  - vaksel 17y ago
    green IS trendy.
    - FluidDjango 17y ago
      Yes. But I would argue that trendiness it not its essence It's much more of a political/conscience issue - that is what the Prius appeals too (IMHO) (as well as thrift).
- abstractbill 17y ago
  I've seen a lot of taxi priuses recently, which makes me think they're good for more than just looking trendy. I would assume taxi drivers tend to buy cars that are economical to run and maintain, more than any other factor.
  - gojomo 17y ago
    Sometimes the use of efficient/alternative cars is mandated by the taxi licensing authority, regardless of the total economic calculation. (It may not be the "taxi drivers" expressing preference via these purchases.)
Goladus 17y ago
There was a hybrid in the small car market I might consider it. As it is, they are too expensive for me still, even considering a $5,000 savings on gas for 100,000 miles.
pasbesoin 17y ago
Amongst other things, I think it has made a small car (other than e.g. a BMW 300 series and such) socially acceptable/desirable for a certain portion of the U.S. population. It's not just an economically influenced decision; there's still the motivation to "fit in".
mildavw 17y ago
A friend recently remarked that she got 55 MPG on her last (all highway) car trip in her diesel VW Jetta. I wonder what demand looks like for these? Also, I had lunch with a marketing contractor regarding a "green" tinted startup I was considering. She recommended I offer blog/facebook badges so that people could "brand" themselves as users of the service. She used the Prius and how its instantly identifiable shape/look helps sales as an example of this benefit. One of the important factors for potential customers is that others know they're green.
- amalcon 17y ago
  Yeah, diesel used to be terrible environmentally-speaking, but now it's actually very good. They've made big improvements over the years, between engine efficiency and that low-sulfur fuel they use now. That said, they're less convenient in some respects, which is going to be a barrier whether we like it or not.
  - kaitnieks 17y ago
    In what respects are they less convenient exactly?
    - ramidarigaz 17y ago
      Diesel prices > gasoline prices.
      - kaitnieks 17y ago
        You're probably talking about USA and while the prices are higher here as well, that's only because of taxes which are bigger for diesel. By how much more does diesel cost in USA compared to petrol?
        ramidarigaz 17y ago
        $0.50 to $1.00/gal more.
gojomo 17y ago
The TV commercials for the 3rd-generation Prius are fantastic: in imagery, music, special effects. Here's the first of the series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4nrmnqY9o&hd=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4nrmnqY9o&hd=1 And a video of the 'making of': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_M-WaCg27k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_M-WaCg27k
peter123 17y ago
I often wonder if hybrids car have to look distinguishably different from other cars in order to be successful in the marketplace.... since I think most people buy it as a fashion-statement for environmental consciousness. You don't see as many hybrid Camrys/Civics around, even though I would argue they are better value for the money, but they don't immediately show that the owner is hip.
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]

22 points by peter123 17y ago

pj 17y ago

I have a 2006 Prius and I drove it 300 miles the other day on the highway and averaged 53 MPG. It's spacious inside. My girlfriend and I can open the back and camp inside there. It's smart. It's good looking. For years it was worth more than I paid for it, partly because I have the California HOV stickers. But still, a vehicle that is an investment. What's not to love?

msluyter 17y ago
I'd agree with everything except for the good looking. ;) It's definitely a sophisticated car, but I've wondered about a couple of things: do TCO calculations for the Prius include the cost of upgrading the batteries? Will the depreciation accelerate as the cars age (and batteries wear) and as other hybrids enter the market? What is the environmental impact of building those batteries?
- Alex3917 17y ago
  The batteries are covered by a 10 year warranty. And the entire battery would never fail, at worst you'd have to swap out one small piece of the battery which isn't very expensive. (The 2nd generation and later support this.) Of the million plus that have been sold, I read that something like only 3 people have had battery issues so far.
- pj 17y ago
  Just to add to what Alex3917 said. I spoke to someone who had an older model Prius than I did. He had owned it for a while and said that he noticed a bit of fuel economy decline, but that's it. But, like I said up there, I've had mine for over 3 years and it still gets 53 MPG. As I learn to drive it better and let go of the need to go really fast, I get better mileage as well.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

vaksel 17y ago

well its not that surprising, they just refreshed the car, so a lot of people are upgrading. Especially since the prius operates in the same trendy market, where people strive to have the best and latest.

CalmQuiet 17y ago
"Trendy market" does not describe the owners that I know. They usually rank high instead on either Green scale or cheap-skate scales. [ disclosure: I rank high on both ] If I had significant distances to drive I'd sure be watching to optimize my gov-sponsored rebate options to acquire one before $4 gas returns and jacks up competition for them.
- vaksel 17y ago
  green IS trendy.
  - FluidDjango 17y ago
    Yes. But I would argue that trendiness it not its essence It's much more of a political/conscience issue - that is what the Prius appeals too (IMHO) (as well as thrift).
abstractbill 17y ago
I've seen a lot of taxi priuses recently, which makes me think they're good for more than just looking trendy. I would assume taxi drivers tend to buy cars that are economical to run and maintain, more than any other factor.
- gojomo 17y ago
  Sometimes the use of efficient/alternative cars is mandated by the taxi licensing authority, regardless of the total economic calculation. (It may not be the "taxi drivers" expressing preference via these purchases.)

Goladus 17y ago

There was a hybrid in the small car market I might consider it. As it is, they are too expensive for me still, even considering a $5,000 savings on gas for 100,000 miles.

pasbesoin 17y ago

Amongst other things, I think it has made a small car (other than e.g. a BMW 300 series and such) socially acceptable/desirable for a certain portion of the U.S. population. It's not just an economically influenced decision; there's still the motivation to "fit in".

mildavw 17y ago

A friend recently remarked that she got 55 MPG on her last (all highway) car trip in her diesel VW Jetta. I wonder what demand looks like for these? Also, I had lunch with a marketing contractor regarding a "green" tinted startup I was considering. She recommended I offer blog/facebook badges so that people could "brand" themselves as users of the service. She used the Prius and how its instantly identifiable shape/look helps sales as an example of this benefit. One of the important factors for potential customers is that others know they're green.

amalcon 17y ago
Yeah, diesel used to be terrible environmentally-speaking, but now it's actually very good. They've made big improvements over the years, between engine efficiency and that low-sulfur fuel they use now. That said, they're less convenient in some respects, which is going to be a barrier whether we like it or not.
- kaitnieks 17y ago
  In what respects are they less convenient exactly?
  - ramidarigaz 17y ago
    Diesel prices > gasoline prices.
    - kaitnieks 17y ago
      You're probably talking about USA and while the prices are higher here as well, that's only because of taxes which are bigger for diesel. By how much more does diesel cost in USA compared to petrol?
      - ramidarigaz 17y ago
        $0.50 to $1.00/gal more.

gojomo 17y ago

The TV commercials for the 3rd-generation Prius are fantastic: in imagery, music, special effects. Here's the first of the series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4nrmnqY9o&hd=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4nrmnqY9o&hd=1 And a video of the 'making of': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_M-WaCg27k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_M-WaCg27k

peter123 17y ago

I often wonder if hybrids car have to look distinguishably different from other cars in order to be successful in the marketplace.... since I think most people buy it as a fashion-statement for environmental consciousness. You don't see as many hybrid Camrys/Civics around, even though I would argue they are better value for the money, but they don't immediately show that the owner is hip.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]