Beware Buyers

10 year, 150k mile warranty.
Even if the EV miles degrade, eventually to just a few miles, the car is still better than a regular prius.

Mike

 

Really? I may have underestimated then, given that we pay so much more for fuel.

I'll be doing about 12,000 miles a year. I say "will be" - here's where my green credentials go straight out of the window, because buying the car means I'm now commuting by road rather than rail... But the finances mean that the switch subsidises my purchase, and in a couple of years when I semi-retire, and a lot more of my travel will be within the electric range, I'll be using a lot less petrol.

 

Anyone notice prius_in_pa's tone has slowly changed from outright defiance to guarded suspicion? That dealer really did a terrible job giving him false information. I think we're slowly building an ally here with the facts.

 

Finding out you were misled isn't an easy issue to face. Some searches will reveal he's far from alone. That should be reassuring.

 

I wasn't against the technology, it was the price. I probably would have gotten a PPI if the price premium was only $2000. There is no way I would pay $6000 and even after the rebates, it wasn't worth it. I just check my dealer's web site, they DO NOT have any PPI in stock. They have plenty of the standard Prii available. I called to find out why and the sales guy said there isn't any demand for the PPI right now. If I wanted one, I had to order it. I guess I'm not the only one who think the premium is too high for plugging in.

 

Since people have shown the numbers used to come up with that figure were incorrect, what is your stance now?

 

If I could get the premium down to $2000 or less and I could rent a PPI and drive it for a day or two, then I could give you a better answer. I also need to check how much electricity it takes to charge the battery. My local dealer is saying PPI is not selling, that's why they don't stock them on their lot. There has to be a reason why they are not selling like hotcakes.

 

if it's all about the money, then it ain't gonna work. no doubting that. mine was about a $4,000. premium and it will take about 5 years to break even. but that's based on my miles per year, my ability to charge and my kwh cost. ymmv.

 

I totally agree with you. Almost two years ago, ignorant of the technology, I put my deposit down and preordered one. I got cold feet when my car was finally built and on its way. $6000 was an awful lot of money and like I said, my electricity rates are so high that I save zip by plugging in. I canceled my order. I got a few jeers from PC members when I posted my decision then. We are a lively bunch and fiercely loyal.

It was when Toyota gave another $4000 rebate on top of my state rebate and federal tax credit making the premium $500-$800 that I was sold. I'd be pretty upset by the 30% depreciation rates had I bought at full price as well.

Yes, Toyota could have put a bigger battery an have a lower cost. Yes, politicians could tax gasoline. But in the real world, raising gas prices is political suicide and Toyota seems uninterested in EV's.

 

There has been a major greenwashing effort to convince people that the plug-in Prius is an EV with just a 6-mile range and the battery is useless at speeds faster than 62 mph.

Seeing that and confirming consumers were misunderstanding how plug-in hybrids operates, Toyota decided to slow down the rollout. Focus on initial markets has become the priority now. Real-World data has always triumphed over efforts to mislead.

 

Poor choice on Toyota's case IMO. The best way to educate people about a new aspect of the car is to get it out to the public. Let people see their friend's and family's PiP. Here about the real world numbers their friends are getting.

I think Toyota should also look into why the PiP got virtually the same mpg rating as the Prius. As it seems the mpg rating is substantially higher even when not plugging in.

 

I got my PiP for $25k after the cashback and tax credit. That the MSRP of a regular Prius Three. PiP is better equipped. Premium alloy wheels and remote A/C to name a few.

 

I see a lot of PiP misinformation and negativity on the internet. The sad thing is, I believe they are mostly Prius (ex)owners.

 

I got my standard Prius for $22.5K. At the time, PPI was not available in my state but the dealer said it's $6000 more when it becomes available.

 

Most of the negativity that I read was about the price premium and availability of charging stations. I don't think anyone is against the technology.

 

That is what they are doing.

 

Not very well. If they rolled them out nationwide the word would get out a lot faster.

 

The PPI has a limited market. It has nothing to do with getting the words out or not. Anyone who don't have a garage probably not going to get a PPI. The availability of public charging stations aren't widespread and from what I heard, even if you could find public charging stations, they are occupied by squatters. I recently took a trip to Boston and Portland, Maine. I did not see one public charging station anywhere. It seems like if you're outside of your own house, it will take a lot of effort to try to get charged up just for 12 miles EV range. For me, my time is worth more money.

Buying a standard Prius was a no brainer because you drive it like you would with a regular gas-only car. Going to PPI is a pain for a lot of people and they also had to pay a high premium. It's just NOT worth it and Toyota probably already knew it.

 

I don't know about other targeted states, but here in the SF Bay area, Toyota TV commercials NEVER mention the plug-in, even in Prius-specific ads that call out the other models like the V and C. From the advertising, you would never know that there was such a thing as a Prius Plug-in.

 

It's very rare to see the Prius commercial on TV no less the Plug-in Prius. Do they even have a Plug-in Prius TV spot?

Toyota seems very content to keep running the same old Camry commercials over and over forever... kind of makes you wonder how committed they are to the hybrids...