Prius Family production finally coming to the US?

I would have guessed that 100% of cars had a braking system standard. Can you point out any car that does not?

ANd yes the prius braking system is more complex that the standard hydraulic friction brakes to stop, cable friction brake to stay stopped. It adds Regenerative braking and engine braking as options the computers may choose.

 

I'm not quite sure how this point has gotten so muddled.

The Prius has a full hydraulic braking system, it also has an electronic braking system, a stroke simulator, and ecu's deciding how to blend them, and fault detection to switch between systems if there is a problem. This requires more parts and complexity than only having an hydraulic system. It also has ABS, ESC, and hill assist all of which must operate through the braking system.

This is more complex, requires more parts, and is more costly than the system in say a 1970s braking system. It is even more complex than the 2006 malibu which GM was looking at in that comparison. That should be obvious to anyone that understands how the prius works.

GM did not get that part wrong. What they got wrong is that it mattered?

After you have spent the NRE money to properly develop the system, it has benefits. The engineering trade off is whether the costs outweigh the benefits. Modular design can improve quality and reliability despite increased parts count and complexity. Much of the complexity is already there in the software needed for abs and esc. Then again, Toyota still has a little work to do on pedal feel, but this should not affect safety, quality, reliability, or maintenance.

 

Your hunch sure brought this issue to discussion: Prius is still not produced in USA, one of its major markets sales region...

 

The part count may be accurate. My point was that it is misleading because Prius hybrid propulsion system does more than propel the car. HSD includes tranmission, brakes, starts the engine and generates electricity for accessories.

It has no belt, no pulley, no starter, no alternator, no separate gearbox.

It has more reliable parts and the question is will they be manufactured in the US as well or are they going to just assemble them here.

 

Is Prius next after Toyota's decision to produce Lexus in U.S.? - latimes.com

Hopefully the business case will win over the politics of the 3 million cars produced in Japan. The signals from toyota seem much more negative than they were last year.

Yes, gm counted the transmission! I have no idea if they counated the brakes, but if they did there are more parts in a prius for that system as well. That should not be hard to understand.

The prius is reliable inspite of higher parts count and complexity. Look at the model t-engine, much less complex than the prius engine, but much less reliable too. Parts count and complexity add to costs, not necessarily reduced quality or relibility. In the case of the prius they increase them. What did GM get wrong? You can read it in the wired article. They thought people would not pay for better fuel economy, and gas prices would not go up.

I hope that we do get a us built prius.

 

You are correct, "had" is the word. The standard brake system: master cylinder, wheel cylinders, shoes, drums.
Cars now have abs, dual braking systems, and (still an option today) vhs in addition to the above.

DBCassidy

 

From From The Best Vanilla To More Spicy Pistachio: Jim Lentz Describes Toyota’s New Tastes | The Truth About Cars from June 2013: