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Automotive News & Views Toyota in decline in 2009?
3613 messages, Last post on Nov 28, 2009 at 3:52 PM
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Toyota taking risk by double-teaming Insight with current and new Prius Toyota Motor Corp. plans to keep selling the current version of its Prius hybrid alongside the third generation after the new Prius debuts later this year, a newspaper reports. The strategy: Slash the sticker price on the current Prius so it can go head to head with Honda's cheaper Insight hybrid. This way they can offer two models that directly compete with each other on the same dealer lot, and the Prius II they will sell, for around $20K according to the article, will still be more expensive than the new Insight for what is a 5-year-old model. Sounds like a winner! Honda had hoped the Insight would scoop a yet-untapped low-end market for hybrids. But Toyota apparently doesn't want to surrender that crown without a fight. Its answer is to make the current Prius cheaper by simplifying the interior, the Nikkei says. The question is, how enticing will it be? The fresh Insight undoubtedly will have more cachet among image-conscious, eco-minded drivers. Why be seen driving a car that has been on the road for half a decade? Why indeed..... http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090121/ANA05/901219947/1186- |
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Replying to: nippononly (Jan 30, 2009 7:48 am) OTOH, I've read that the new Insight has a really cheap interior and not much room in the back seat. Frugal buyers might very well choose the Prius II over the Insight II.
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Replying to: nippononly (Jan 30, 2009 7:48 am) First, the tooling is already done and paid for so any of the P2's will be pure profit. Second, Toyota already announced that the Tundra plant was going to stop producing trucks for like 6 months. Maybe they are planning on building the P2's at this plant which preserves the jobs and keeps the new plant viable. I also think Toyota buyers are a fickle bunch to begin with. It takes a lot to sway a Toyota buyer who is on his 9th Camry  to switch to a Honda. Even if the price is a couple of grand lower. So this way, the P2 can capture a few of those buyers who might be otherwise swayed by the 8 grand price difference between the Insight2 and the P3.
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Replying to: anythngbutgm (Jan 30, 2009 8:07 am) First time I ever drove a Prius II, in 2004, I thought the interior was fairly cheap and flimsy, middling quality at best, and now they propose to cheapen it? If they are going to pull thousands of dollars of cost out of this car, and they are going to do all that cutting in the interior, I shudder to think what it will be like when they are done. The Insight II is basically the new Fit with a hybrid powertrain. Cheapish interior, but not horrible.
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Replying to: 210delray (Jan 30, 2009 7:59 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Jan 30, 2009 8:21 am) The Insight II will cost $1500 more than the same-size Fit Sport, and have more features. Even if you value the extra features at $0, someone driving the Insight 12-15K per year could make up the cost differential in 2-2.5 years with $4 gas, 4-5 years with $2 gas, and be consuming less oil all along the way. The Toyota comparison is even more favorable to the hybrid, given the price jump of the new Matrix last year and using the current Prius (priced around $20K later this year) and the current Matrix (the closest model in size) as the basis for comparison. People will make their choices..... The question is, if the Prius II costs $20K and the Prius III costs $25K while making only 8% better gas mileage and being a half second quicker to 60 mph, which will people choose, ESPECIALLY in this down economy? I'm thinking most will choose the current/old Prius, not the new one. |
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anyone here knows what equipment the japanese prius II is going to ditch in order to lower the price? drop the touch screen and use a manual a/c control would save at least a couple grand? I mean yota could've sell it at cost and crush the insight. But price it too low would steal a lot of corolla's sales.
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Replying to: nwng (Jan 30, 2009 10:28 am)
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Replying to: nippononly (Jan 30, 2009 10:56 am)
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Replying to: anythngbutgm (Jan 30, 2009 11:25 am) Having people buy a Prius for what image they want to project is nothing different than a millionaire sports star buying a Ferrari for his image, or a family buying a blinged-out SUV for their image. The difference in those scenarios is that the Prius buyer feels like they are doing something good for someone ELSE, whereas the other two examples are for personal vain or satisfaction, and not to help anyone else.
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