I would like to see their source, if any! Toyota doesn't do that, or at least hasn't done that before. The new car is too close to the current model anyway re specs. i.e. almost same size, same look, same function. So it wouldn't be very smart to have both for sale at the same time.

The word I heard is the 2009 will be a limited production run, until the 2010 is ready for sales. For many manufacturers and models this can be a problem (excess inventory they have to "blow out" at lower or no profits). I doubt this would be a problem with the Prius. They seem to "fly off the lots". Perhaps the economy -will- cause us to see them cleared out for the first time, but I doubt it.

I don't recall either about Toyota doing such things. But others do. Previous gen VW Golf/Jetta that are still produced but rebadged as "City" model.

Maybe it is pure speculation after all.

The source seems to come from AutoWeek.

As the old adage goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If the current model of Prius is selling like hot cakes, don't change it! I have seen so many automakers in the past have a car that sells "millions" and then they change the styling, and sales drop more than 50%. Toyota would be very smart in continuing to sell the current body-style as long as buyers are still lining up.

Take the Toyota Matrix, for example. I see the previous model all the time. I rarely see the new model. Maybe once every two weeks.

Jeep Cherokee did that with their "Classic" Cherokee and the new Cherokee. I believe they did that for a few years.

GM did that recently with their Malibu and the "Classic" Malibu.

Ford did that with their Taurus. They continued to sell the old Taurus to rental car companies for a few years after the replacement "Five Hundred" came out. No?

Given the generally negative response from most Priuschat members regarding the next gen Prius, this is probably a good idea!!!

And the word adage has latin origin: it means "I say."

In general, people resist change. Peoples initial reaction to changes in car style are rarely indicative of their reaction after being around it for a while.

i don't hope that the current and then old prius will be around the same prrice and so the new prius a lot more expensive

If Toyota do that, the resale value of our cars will go south.

only manufacturers who do that are french and italians who dont make any money .

So no, Toyota will not do that...

i fervently waited for change and this was not the change i wanted

The only reasons I see for a company doing this are:

1. they can't produce enough of the new product because of manufacturing or supply problems, so that they continue to offer the old product until they ramp up production.

2. they have excess inventory of the old stuff. I think the examples given with Jeep, the Malibu, the Taurus and the lonely friendless Five Hundred are because of this problem.

If Toyota did offer both, I would expect the first reason would be the explanation and we would have to put our names in early to get the new car.
I expect our resale prices will fall no matter what the new car sells for.

With current production capacity running full blast, can Toyota really make two model Prius at the same time? On the other hand it may be a good idea to keep selling the current Prius at a lower price to keep the competition at bay.

Incidentally the City Golf is still sold in South Africa. It's essentially a 1978 Golf 1 with some jazzed up bits. It's built locally though, very much like Brazil and the VW beetle that they sold until not too long ago.

Bottom line. I'm not convinced.

My understanding is the production volume limiting factor for the Prius is the battery. Both models will need the battery. I don't see this as a reason to build and sell both models at the same time. Just the opposite.

Toyota has said the new model will sell at about the same price as the current model. I don't see this as a reason to sell both at the same time. Just the opposite.

I see NO reason Toyota would build and sell both models at the same time. But I'm not privy to all the factors they must consider, so YMMV.

Note that those who are expressing their disapproval of the new model are a little over exuberant. They haven't even SEEN the new car! Get real people! Cars look much different in real life than in photos, especially in "sneek photos". Wait until you can sit in the car, walk around it, etc. THEN I'll listen to your belly-aching.

How do you know what the changes are in the next gen Prius? Nobody I know decides to buy or not to buy a new car based on some fuzzy photos. Most normal folks prefer to get into one and test drive it.

We were looking for a new minivan when we bought the Prius. After test driving many vans and SUVs, including the Hybrid Highlander, we gave up. A Prius just happened to be sitting there at the dealership on our way out and we decided to take it for a spin just to see what it's like. Getting a Prius was not in our plan at all, yet the test drive made us rethink our strategy and we ended up purchasing one.

That doesn't mean we no longer need a minivan. We still do. In fact, we're now on the market for a larger vehicle. My wife's been seriously looking at a Honda Pilot, as a matter of fact. I'm pretty sure Toyota is aware of this neglected segment of the market. But in our case we don't have time to wait for them to bring a hybrid minivan to the US. And that's just too damn bad. Looks like Honda will get our business instead.

Ford did this recently when they did their big redesign of the F150. F150 has been the best selling vehicle in the United States for 26 straight years (until this year) but I heard the reason they kept the previous generation around for an extra couple of years (badged as the F150 Heritage) was because the new design was drastically different and didn't want to turn off consumers. I believe most of those trucks ended up being sold in Fleet sales.

And you are right

According to Hybridcarblog: