2011 Prius not coming till Feb/Mar 2011?

Oh, I doubt that, selling a 2010 model in year 2011. I think they just want you to buy a 2010 now.

 

I was at the OC Auto Show today and I asked numerous staff when certain cars would be coming out, and I would say that it was almost unanimous that the release dates had been pushed back a few months. I'm not sure why, but this appears to be the case throughout most of the auto industry.

 

wouldn't surprise me at all, given the number of pri on the lots around here. and they are NOT selling. cash for clunkers may be catching up to them and the economy may be more smoke and mirrors than real improvement.

 

The reason why Priuses aren't selling now is because everyone who wanted one already has one.

 

Easy - although likely not very appealling to Toyota - solution is to simply lower prices a few more thousand. They'll sell.

 

Easy - they dropped the color green. Hint Hint. Green is an important color to offer on the Prius.

 

Easy - when the 2011s arrive, have a "BLOWOUT SALE!!!!" on the remaining 2010s. Advertise all over television. This way, they are not admitting that the Prius isn't selling well, but rather just having a normal clearance of the previous year to make room for the new ones.

Also, and they can hit two birds with one stone here ... have an SUV Trade-In Event - it will not only be a promo for the Prius but advertising all over television: "Bring in your ball-and-chain gas-guzzling, wallet-draining SUV" will have a psychological effect on the general pubic that gas-guzzling SUVs are a negative burden. That psychological effect can go a loooooooooooooooooooong way.

 

Call over to Sage in West Covina, he's a huge mover, they may have some up to the minute information

 

I just spoke to one of out local dealers (Bell Road Toyota) about when he was expecting 2011 models and was shocked to hear him tell me that he currently has 2010 models still on the ship, not even at dock yet. So, that being the case, he stated the obvious, he didn't expect any 2011's untill at least Jan, '11.
So if that's the case, we'll have a model year running from July of '09 through at least Jan of '11, a 19 month model year. Shucks, seems like they might as well wait until they roll out the "C", "V" and the PHEV models all at once and just start selling the '10's as model year 10+ starting in Jan.

 

Maybe they finally discovered, uncovered, the firmware flaw that resulted in the sudden acceleration episodes. Given that most of, if not the majority of, the US and asian automotive manufacturing industry gets their firmware from a single source "origin" (NipponDenso, Denso US) It wouldn't surprise me at all if there was a product delay throughout the industry.

 

No that was discovered back in April, 2010:

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2010/10/toyota-adding-brake-override-to-all-2011-models/

Between the brake-override and investigation of these complaints with data recording readout, there has been a dramatic reduction.

Bob Wilson

 

it's not that complicated. when you have spent the last seven years playing catch up, and the economy hits a brick wall, you find yourself with a few too many my 2010's. too many to have on the lot alongside the 2011's. especially with the batteries aging faster than any other part of the car.

 

Dealers of all brands still have lots full of 2010's, so if there are no major changes between them and the 2011's I think dealers are happy to wait another couple months!

 

"..have lots full of 2010's.."

That would imply that the buying public is for some reason not "buying" and therefore dealers would LOVE to have new buyer modivation....2011 models.

"...no major changes..."

"Beauty" is in the eyes of the beholder....

 

"..the brake-override.."

It would be the absolute height of foolishness for the manufacturers to be adding a firmware "sub-routine" to an ECU program that is already "suspect". IMMHO it is entirely possible, even probable, that the SUA incidences were the result of the engine/transaxle ECU control CC "accel" firmware sub-routine that ends up being executed continuously, "deadly embrace".

At this point only a true failsafe, separately implemented, brake override system should be acceptable. Were I to purchase ANY new US or Asian origin car currently the very first mod would be a truly failsafe brake override.

But the only purchase on my horizon is a 2012 Escape hybrid or Lincoln version. Plus that will give Ford the time to adapt the ICE to DFI and just maybe Toyota's new e/VVT-i multi-mode ICE system.

 

"..that was discovered back in April..."

Yes, April of 2006, according to this article.

"...In some cases dating back to 2006..."

New claims made against Toyota in defects case - Yahoo! Finance

 

Prius has always had brake override. It's also always worked just fine. The only problem with the 2010 was the interaction between the anti-lock and traction control was too sensitive. They fixed that.

Nobody really knows for sure, but I suspect the 2011 model will be basically unchanged from the 2010, other than perhaps a few different colours. So waiting for a 2011 will only give you the "2011" mark on the car. Worth a few thousand at resale for sure, but if you are hoping for a big change in the technology, that's a few years in the future.

 

"....Prius has always had brake override.."

No, the Prius DOES NOT HAVE, HAS NEVER HAD, a brake override system. It does, however, have brake override functionality that just happens to be an integral function of Toyota's HSD.

On the Prius when you release the gas pedal the system goes into regenerative braking mode, if you then step on the brakes the level of initial regenerative braking is now determined by the brake pedal pressure.

In designing the Toyota HSD system the engineers were not thinking "brake override", just the untilitarian aspects of the hybrid system design.

A true brake override system, design, would ACTIVELY KILL/DISABLE the vehicle driving force(s) should that force remain in operation with the brakes in use. There is no aspect of the Prius design that addresses that issue.

"..problem..2010..anti-lock...traction control...was too sensitive..."

No, when impending lockup due to regenerative braking was detected the switch to frictional braking was delayed due to a flaw in the firmware design. Regenerative braking was being instantly discontinued but the onset of frictional braking was delayed indeterminantly as the result of a firmware flaw.

"..Nobody really knows for sure..."

Yes, EXACTLY..!

If Toyota has found, discovered, the firmware flaw that has resulted in those 3 or 4 well documented SUA incidents then while they are not likely to EVER make an admission of same they will however institute a FIX, most likely secretly.

 

"...only give you...2011 mark.."

Since DFI design, capability is considered perfected and now in current use it would be patently foolish of Toyota to not adapt the 2011 Prius ICE to DFI. And maybe even the new Toyota e/VVT-i design that allows the ICE to remain in standard "Otto" mode, 13:1 CR (15:1 w/DFI) and only switch to Atkinson mode, effective CR of 10:1, (12:1 w/DFI), at or near WOT.

The two aspects together might well yeild a 30% FE improvement.