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Proof People Aren't Dumb: Prius Sales Up 27%

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Danny, Apr 1, 2010.

  1. mad-dog-one

    mad-dog-one Prius Enthusiast

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    A 30 to 40 cent increase per gallon in the price for gas represents a 15% to 20% increase in the cost of gas. Multiply this by 50 million drivers using two to three hundred gallons at the higher price and this represents about $5 billion in additional money out of the pockets of Americans for gas. I believe the increase in the price of gas will promote sales of the Prius and other fuel efficient cars in the U.S. and probably elsewhere. I'll watch the statistics on gas prices and Prius sales over the next half a year to see if my prediction is correct.
     
  2. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    35,546 purchases for March in Japan.

    Imagine what that would do to the market with sales like that here.
    .
     
  3. Stratospaly

    Stratospaly New Member

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    I personally think that anyone who did not vote for Count Von Count as Secretary of Counting things, should all be burned at the stake. Furthermore, all of you backwater cootie queens who voted for Mr. Owl of the tootsie pop commercials need to get a clue... dude couldn't ever get past three!


    On the other hand, I disagree with the OP. Reading peoples comments online people are still very, very dumb.
     
  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Yeah, crazy. Honda's still getting destroyed by Toyota in terms of hybrid sales. They sold a whopping 579 HCHs in the US last month which would put it the Prius at 20:1.

    For the benefit of others, the Honda sales table is at American Honda Reports March Sales Increase of 17.8 percent - Honda.com.
     
  5. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Lexus HS 250h (1,494) outsold HCH and it may overtake the Insight soon.
     
  6. Iceman123

    Iceman123 New Member

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    One sure fact...If Toyota hadn't reacted to poor Feb 10' U.S sales(Feb 10' sales was a little over 100,00 compared to over 195,000 in Feb 07', down 4 years in a row in Feb.) with unprecedented incentives, they would continue to be the only automobile company that had sales dip back to back years in Feb 09'/10' and March 09'/10' . The current commercials are trying "To prove people are dumb " by saying sales are up due to their loyal customers...If that was true wouldn't sales be up in Feb. , when every other automaker was UP ?

    On a busy ave. , if a Pizza shop decides to broadcast that its selling slices at $1 each and they get a flock of customers, is that attributed to loyal customers ?...The loyalists in my mind represent a minimum of its customers.

    Business 101:..People vote by the way they buy products...If they don't buy the products efficiently ..You slash prices till they do..

    Toyota will need to continue to sell their product on the cheap...Which will tarnish each car's resale value, if this continues for a long time...The way things are going..That will continue for a long time...Which makes us all very happy:mad: at resale time since we paid extra for Toyota's history on resale value and its perception on reliability which is out the window now.
     
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  7. finman

    finman Senior Member

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    perception? My Toyota experience has been stellar. And so have hundreds of thousands of others.

    In Priusland alone, over 90% Prius drivers would buy another. We are in that club. 2 Prii, his and hers. What a great car.

    Despite all the naysaying and the "perceived problems", real people love their Toyotas and do not care what the stupid, stupid media has to say. We are a lot smarter than that.
     
  8. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Coming out a depressed year in the auto industry, what kind of incentives did GM offer and how did sales pan out Malorn? Full credit for hanging in there dude.
     
  9. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    I didn't buy my first Toyota back in 1980 on reputation, I keep buying because they just don't break. They always brake on command but never break.
     
  10. wwest40

    wwest40 Member

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    My new '92 LS400 remained in its nice warm and cozy garage for almost 18 months while we went through the lemon law procedure. We lost. So I had to figure out what was causing the instances of seemingly spontaneous windshield fogging on my own. Once I fixed the problem I loved the LS and still have it today.

    I have to wonder how many Prius owners, and even entire Toyota fleet owners, have done that, parked their cars until this matter is cleared up with reasonable certainty.

    The only DBW car I drive at the moment is an '01 Porsche 911/996 C4.

    But it came with a CLUTCH..!!
     
  11. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    Sales numbers and profit margin are two different things. Would be interesting to see how margin's holding up...
     
  12. Iceman123

    Iceman123 New Member

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    You should be commanded for your loyalty ...Your devotion represents the majority of the people in this forum, probably a 10 to 1 ratio...Unfortunately, in the real world you represent a 1 in 10 ratio of Toyota owners who are totally loyal to Toyota.

    Many outside this forum have an American only mentality, which already eliminated 25% of the U.S. market ....Most and the majority , like myself , will make their choice of automobile in choosing what they are simply in the mood for...With variables involving affordability,reputation luxury,speed,MPG,Eco friendly, size,high resale, condition..etc etc etc.

    I have no allegiance to any auto company ...I have owned or leased 3 Fords, 1 Mercury , 1 Porsche, 1 Chevy , 1 Nissan, 1 Lexus , 1 Dodge and the now Toyota ...Whether new or used I knew the pluses and minuses of these cars before I got them and nothing changed in any big degree once I drove them and nothing changed my opinion of any auto Company thereafter to a bigger plus or minus side.

    Today, however I feel deceived in the purchase of my Toyota back in October . A variable that I paid for and paid extra for, was reputation and high resale value. With the facts I stated in my last post and the latest disclosure that the U.S were not told back in Sept. 09'(Can you say Christmas sales?) ,when Europe were informed. With our gov't and media informing us of the problems, we can get swayed into not buying a Toyota(like Feb 2010 ), which subsequently, like now(March 2010), force Toyota to drop their prices and like now if I choose to do so, save like $3k -$5k , if I choose to buy a Prius today.

    The playing field for reputation, today and for some time , puts Toyota on an even(At best) playing field with the other automobile companies . The difference is, Toyota will have to use and continue to use, cut throat incentives which the other auto companies have been doing for some time. To think not , would be naive and be a Toyota wet dream .


    It will take allot of time , billions of dollars in lawsuits and allot of nice person kissing($) to get the people who are on the fence to respect Toyota again.
     
  13. Iceman123

    Iceman123 New Member

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    So true , so true !

    I read an article on Burger King, they are selling their 1/4 double cheeseburgers at 99 cents....The franchise owners are complaining that final cost out the door, per burger ,was $1.15 ...meaning they were losing money...Hopefully they can sell allot of fries and drinks to make up the loss, with the extra register receipts they are pulling with the sale...But then again , having that sale , can nullify allot regular customers from buying their other sandwiches at full price. Would love to see the before and after profit margin.
     
  14. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Many Macintosh owners felt the same sting when after buying a new Mac, a week, a month or two later, a new model came out and the recently purchased Macs were on 'fire sales.' It was such a common pattern that I became adept at buying after the 'fire sales' started for discontinued models. In some respects, you missed the 2009 'fire sale.'

    In car ownership, there are those who change cars frequently and as such, resale value is important. There are others who keep them 'till the wheels fall off.' Since you change cars, resale value is important but it is and always has been a gamble. But in gambling, you win some and lose some and until we get a time-future viewer, that is how it will be.

    I like to visit casinos from time to time and play dice. Sometimes I leave with more money than I came with. Sometimes I leave with less. But I go into the casino expecting to leave several hours later after being entertained (you should see what happens at the craps table) and regardless of the outcome, I never leave blaming the casino or their staff.

    So perhaps you'll hold on to the Prius until gasoline prices peak in September and sell it then. Or if you're very clever, hold off until September 2011. You only take a loss when you sell the car or like a gambler, leave the table.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  15. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Despite falling, Toyota brand loyalty is still pretty strong per:
    Study: Hyundai customer loyalty upends Toyota, Honda, takes #1 — Autoblog
    Rice study finds loyalty to Toyota despite recalls | Business | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
     
  16. Fred_H

    Fred_H Misoversimplifier

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    Re: Evidence People Aren't Dumb: Prius Sales Up 27%

    I think this is another example of the third person effect.

    Many people think that everyone else is falling for the press hysteria, while they think that only they themselves see through it.


    Here are two more things which tend to indicate that people are buying Toyotas not only because of the incentives.

    Firstly, although the incentives are higher than usual for Toyota, they are not higher than average compared to other makes. That indicates that the really cheap deals are with other makes, but people still pay more for Toyotas, because they still know that they are good.

    Secondly, although new car incentives tend to also pressure the used car prices downward, the prices for used Toyotas without incentives has not fallen significantly compared to other makes. That indicates that the demand for Toyotas is still high, even without incentives.
     
  17. wwest40

    wwest40 Member

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    S...t......r............e....................t...........................c......................................h.
     
  18. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Toyota doesn't have anything tantamount to soda, or fries (no cost to buy, along with tons of markup to make profit on) to sell the public, so if you're suggesting the Prius is a money looser & they're selling it at a loss - after they sold MILLIONS of them, they'd be as bankrupt as GM. Toyota says they're a for-profit business ... and that they DO make $$ on it. Folks love drama. Someone would have spilled the beans a half dozen years ago if this 'money-looser' urban legend were anywhere near half true.

    .
     
  19. robbyr2

    robbyr2 New Member

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    That would mean about $3.15 on the low side. I think that's enough to send people to looking for higher mileage vehicles. And you can look at some alternatives, but no one comes close to 51 mpg this summer. Nissan isn't trying very hard to sell the Altima hybrid. The Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid aren't there yet. And because of "bundling" the Fusion and Milan Hybrids are failing the added price test ("base" 27950 for the hybrid, 19695 for the non-hybrid). With the added standard equipment, the differential isn't really $8000 but most people aren't going to look that hard.

    Since speculating in oil futures and financing those who do is still considered acceptable by the Wall Street financial wizards (and with our frozen federal government), I think 40 cents is probably wishful thinking. I hope you're right.
     
  20. robbyr2

    robbyr2 New Member

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    Re: Evidence People Aren't Dumb: Prius Sales Up 27%

    There was an article on Yahoo! Finance today about how the AP's investigation showed Toyota was being evasive in handling lawsuits by its victims. Their investigation consisted of reading lawsuits against Toyota pending, and lawsuits concluded in Toyota's favor, as well as Representative Towns' letter (based on his reading of 70,000 pages of documents in a couple of days- do congressmen read that fast?). They also reviewed Mr. Biller's allegations. In the interest of fairness they interviewed a lawyer who defends product liability cases for other companies. He said that he didn't see a problem- that's what judges were for. The article concluded that the people with the most to gain financially were the most credible.

    The cool part was that of the first 20 comments, 2 were anti-Toyota, while most were like "You know the more I read the same old crap the more I start thinking someone is making things up to support American car makers." Something was said about greedy lawyers too. Unfortunately, Yahoo! has hidden the comments now.