Toyota gives popular Camry a hybrid twist

[Tideland Prius]

Thus far, hybrids have danced around the mainstream. Oh, sure, the Prius has become the green badge of clean living for the reporter-looking-for-a-story set, but it's hardly conquered the mainstream. Ditto for Honda's Insight, which John Travolta lampooned so well in Be Cool.

The Civic Hybrid has had a lukewarm reception, and the company's Accord V-6 Hybrid has been lambasted for focusing on performance at the expense of fuel economy. The same criticism has been levelled at the Lexus RX 400h, which combines the RX 330's V-6 with an electric motor for the performance of a V-8 with the gasoline consumption of a V-6.

Everyone from Bluewater to the New York Times has condemned the RX, determining that true environmentalism can only come with strange-looking or inconveniently priced subcompacts rather than V-6 hybrids that might wean Americans off their love affair with wasteful V-8s.

But as befitting the world's leading manufacturer of gasoline-electric hybrids, Toyota is aiming its latest environmentally friendly product directly at the heart of mainstream North America. No car is more popular than the company's Camry and, despite the recent infusion of power to the 3.5-litre topline version, it's still the base 2.4-L four that is the big seller -- and the basis for the new Camry Hybrid.

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[j24816]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jun 7 2006, 02:32 PM) [snapback]267485[/snapback]</div>

Thus far, hybrids have danced around the mainstream. Full Article
[/b]

OK, my question is....is the Prius mainstream in your neighborhood?

In mine it certainly is. On my block of maybe 30 houses there are 3 (plus one that visits regularly); go around the corner 25 yards and you can count two more. In our tract (sized to support an elementary school of 500) there are easily 2 or 3 dozen.

At a red light I was one of three Prius' abreast; on the way to work (9 miles) it is rare not to see 5 or 6 on the road........

[john1701a]

> Thus far, hybrids have danced around the mainstream.

That opening line was one of the best examples of "milking the hybrid hype" I have read in a very long time... because the article that followed had absolutely, positively nothing to do with that. They get your attention, then abruptly switch the topic to the same old, generic, nothing we haven't seen heard countless times already report. That's sad... but not disappointing, since my expectations are so low nowadays.

What the heck does "mainstream" mean anyway?


Is it a numeric quantity? If so, the half million Prius now on the road would like satisfy that criteria. After all, there are many other vehicles that don't sell as many per year.

Is it with respect to consumer recognition? If so, Prius achieves that by a colossal landslide. In fact, Prius is so well known the name is synonymous with the term hybrid.

Is it in some way related to time? If so, the fact that the eighth year of production is about to end should and there have been 2 major upgrades since introduction be more than enough to qualify.

Is it an aspect of distribution? With 3 major production facilities and sales taking place worldwide, that's hardly a factor of ineligibility either.

Is it a factor of sales speed? Prius has is among the top sellers in modern history, spending a extremely short amount of time on the dealer's premises makes it a very favorable business product.

Is it the resale value? Prius has the all-time highest slightly-used prices in all of automotive history. No other vehicle so young has been able to sell for so much.

Is it demand for purchase? Since there are waiting lists agonizingly long, that point certainly is a clear indication of strong appeal.


In other words, how can Prius not be considered mainstream at this point?

The answer is surprisingly simple... It's because there is no real competition yet. Remarkable, eh?

[Salsawonder]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(j24816 @ Jun 9 2006, 05:07 PM) [snapback]268932[/snapback]</div>

OK, my question is....is the Prius mainstream in your neighborhood?

In mine it certainly is. On my block of maybe 30 houses there are 3 (plus one that visits regularly); go around the corner 25 yards and you can count two more. In our tract (sized to support an elementary school of 500) there are easily 2 or 3 dozen.

At a red light I was one of three Prius' abreast; on the way to work (9 miles) it is rare not to see 5 or 6 on the road........
[/b]

I went for a short drive (3 miles) to a friend's house and without looking for them I saw a Highlander Hybrid, 3 other Prii and right next to me was a lady driving her mom's Hy Cam. La Mesa is loaded with Prii, there are 3 Salsas within this 1/2 mile area!

Oh yeah, in my condo complex of 106 units there is a black Prius as well as my Salsa.

[rudiger]

I would have to agree that in California (the land of $3.50/gal/regular gas), the Prius (and hybrids, in general) certainly appears to be solidly in the mainstream.

This may be the case in the rest of the country, as well, but it's not quite as clear-cut.

[micheal]

Even in West Texas, I have noticed them being much more plentiful. A year ago, I would maybe see one a week driving town. Now it is almost everyday that I see a Prius.

[rogerSC]

When I was driving in San Jose the other day, I saw a lot less hybrids in the "diamond" lanes than I expected (like zero), and less in the other lanes than I expected as well. Santa Cruz, on the other hand, seems to be a hotbed for Prius's. I'll be commuting to San Jose from Santa Cruz in about a week, and will be applying the HOV stickers that I've had for a while at that point, and will enjoy using the diamond lanes on the various commute routes.

It was interesting to see how few Prius's were on the roads in San Jose, since I'm used to seeing a lot around in Santa Cruz where I live, and had expected that to carry over to San Jose as well.

I'll be getting a better sense of this soon, but as I said, I found it surprising how few Prius's that I saw in San Jose.

-Roger