Prius I, and Other News

Hi folks, got two pieces of news for you.

First off, Prius I is coming soon. Now, don't get your hopes up, because we're going to offer it only to fleets for the time being, but I did want to let you in on the specs. It will essentially come equipped as a Prius II, less the following:

· Cruise Control
· Touch Tracer display
· Smart Key
· EV mode
· Rear wiper
· Rear tonneau cover
· Heated side mirrors
· Satellite radio antenna and satellite capable radio
· Rear armrest with two cup holders
· Two rear-door speakers
· Rear heater duct
· Passenger-seatback pocket
· Foldable rear headrests
· Underbody spoilers and spats

Prius I will also only come in Dark Grey interior. The MSRP is $21,000, as previously announced.

Second piece of news: Prius II-V model base MSRP will be adjusted to reflect an increase of $400, which will take effect with US port arrivals on October 18, 2009.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

Wow. While some of these items might be considered "luxuries," a few seem pretty essential to me. In particular, I find that whenever it rains hard, I have to use the rear wiper, because that window is nearly horizontal and seems to hold onto the water, making it hard to see through. I'm surprised that cruise control would be absent. While not essential, I think rear cup holders would be pretty usual. Finally, I like the rear folding headrests because they improve the visibility a little.

Why will there be a $400 increase?

At a guess I'd say because the demand is high enough that they feel they can charge an extra $400 without reducing demand below supply. But that's just a guess...

Hey Prius Team!
I have attempted twice to send a question via mail without luck. Is there a better way to forward the question over without posting to the open forum?
Thanks,
Tom

As he said, the initial offering is for fleet usage. I guess Toyota assumes that most fleets want a stripped vehicle. I'm guessing at $21K most consumers would still opt for the II with more features. Perhaps not.

So with a $400 increase in MSRP and more tacked on for safety Connect and the USB, loaded V's will cost close to $1K more. Glad I got mine early.

It is great to see Toyota is keeping the alloy wheels.

I also think this is Toyotas way of competing with the Insight.

No cruise, keyless, or EV. I was hoping EV and keyless would stay. $400 extra will make the II come out to around $23,200 without tax.

That is getting too high for me. I've got to draw the line somewhere. The scale just tipped heavily towards the Insight. There's claims of people buying them for close to invoice ($20,098) and most getting mpg of 47 to 50.

Here in Phoenix the Insight is an "invoice" car all day though the profit margin is very small like the Prius. I think once the newness of the Prius settles down, the dealerships will be giving these away like all the other cars. I remember when the new Tundra came out and MSRP lasted for a like two months then they were giving them away. It's all about supply and demand.

prius team



please fixed the ipod interface problems.

find some way to turn off the embedded satellite radio, even if we need to use pliers to rip it out.


thank you












.

So is this intended as the "most base possible prius"? I could
live without cruise, but I think EV is kind of an important
operational thing. Perhaps all one has to do is add a button
and the appropriate lead to the ECU to restore it, like in the
second-gen? The rest of the strippage I'd totally agree with.
.
Might make a good mule for various PHEV testing, too...
.
_H*

Wow. If they would have left the cruise in I could consider a Prius I.

PS - I like deleting the following for minor weight or cost savings:
rear wiper (I know some love it, but rainx is good enough for me)
sat radio - I usually change my radio to third party
rear armrest - often i have a front passenger but only TWICE in 5 years for the rear
same as above for rear heater and seatback pocket and headrests

Wow someone who thinks like me. I would want to keep the under body aero aids however if I could have my choice.

Interesting. It seems like it would actually cost Toyota money to exclude some of these items, but apparently not. At any rate, thank you Prius Team for sharing this with us!

As for the $400 cost increase, it seems that everything from Japan is undergoing cost increases due to the "value of the Yen". I'm really into photography, and can you believe that the prices of most lenses have increased 30% in the last year? The Canon 300mm 2.8L IS was $3,500 12 months ago. Now it costs $4,600. It's out of control...

Bryan

The Prius I model is not available to consumers - that is the real news.

Perhaps these options were deleted partly to make it NOT appealing to us individuals?