Can you get a 2015 Plug-in Prius outside of California

A good point. A year and a half ago, I used my USAA shopping service to query Richmond, VA and Los Angels, CA for a PiP. Even adding an extra $900 for shipping from California, all 3 CA quotes were less than the VA quotes.

 

When I was at our nearby dealership maybe 2 months back, I saw one Prius hatchback, and one v. Maybe one c too? In short, seemed really strange, like Prius, of any ilk, were endangered species.

Mighta turned around now, not sure.

 

OK, the Prius Plug-in so far has been more of an experiment than a useful electric vehicle, and I think that accounts for it's lackluster sales. I have the only one I've ever seen in this city (although 2 others are purported to exist). However, I hope Toyota seriously pursues this market niche, because if they could increase the EV range to a more useful number (like 50+, without too many tradeoffs) I'd be more inclined to buy one again. Currently, it's not easy for me to charge every day, but there's a good chance that it could change in the future.

 

Can you get a 2015 Plug-in Prius outside of California
Yes.
Maybe not in very many places RIGHT NOW but I'm sure that shipments will pick up.......if not demand.
IIRC Japanese models are much closer to the real callender than US makes, which typically come out in the fall.

I'm wondering if there will be a next-gen Pip?

 

i think there are a few states, but none with as much benefit as cali. if i were a dealer, i wouldn't be allocating my assets to hybrids right now. i can't even imagine the margin on a loaded sequoia.

edit: sorry, this was for charles. ^^^

 

toy has already said there will be. i suppose they can delay or change their minds if they so desire.

 

that would make it more expensive than the volt. not sure toyota is interested in those sales levels.

 

Our friendly SoCal dealer Dianne says that the dealer margins on the PiP are abysmal (from the dealer's point of view). OTOH, dealers rake in the cash on the SUVs. So which will they carry?

 

Not sure if it would be a lot more expensive. If the battery were upgraded from 4.5 kWh to 30 kWh or so, it might add a few thousand to the price, but space would be the biggest hurdle in my opinion. Perhaps a floor-level setup like the Tesla may contain the answer. But I'm no engineer, so I simply remain hopeful.

 

Fair enough.

If I have to buy a vehicle this year or next year I want a PHEV.
That's why I keep tabs on Volt and Pip prices and availabilities.
Last year (2014) Some Pips were available on the right coast since HOV dodgers weren't snapping them up, and I expect that they will continue to be available on the right coast for this year.
Unfortunately low gas prices are softening prices for the Volt (average price now hovering around 32) but the 2015 pips are not widely available yet so their prices are still spotty.
I'm glad to hear that there still might be a Pip edition of the G4.
Maybe they will improve it somewhat.

Anyone in the market should either move in the next week or two or wait until after tax season has flushed all of the impulse buyers through the dealerships.

 

agreed. my next one will have more than 15 miles. it's too much fun to drive electric.

 

To my knowledge CA, is essentially the only state kicking hybrids, and soon plug-in hybrids, out of free HOV. Maybe AZ not sure.

The biggest HOV-incentive states where it impacts sales are CA/VA/NY Long Island Expresway AFAIK. Maybe add AZ.
MD has low car tax 6% and a decent Plug_in incentive but saw fit to limit PiP to $500 tax credit due to batt size. VA never let MD folks into our free HOV, and VA free HOV is mostly limited to grandfathered-hybrids/plug-ins on I-66 (I-95 free HOV just ended 1-Jan). DC is tax free to all cars over 40-MPG EPA City, so that would be the very best left-over incentive for regular Prius hybrid.

In short no special reason to get a PiP around here except owner interest in the option, and of course the $2500 Federal tax credit. But if you got a Volt in MD or DC you'd be closer to $10000 off (Fed+State). VA not a plug-in friendly state.

 

in cali, it's all about moving the hov stickers to the latest and greatest technology.

 

Straight hybrids were kicked out of California HOV lanes in 2011. What's this about plug-in hybrids being kicked out?

 

Green stickers expire 1/1/19. I realistically don't see that being extended, given the increasing market share of EV only.

 

charley, how did you put wjtracy's quote under my name? i don't know anything about cali hov's.

 

Pruning error. When I am replying to a particular part of message, I like to prune away the part not relevant to my reply. You were in the message chain I was replying to. I fixed the attribution.

 

Per Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) Decals - High Occupancy Vehicle HOV Lane Usage and Eligible Vehicles - Single Occupant Carpool Lane Use Stickers both the white and green stickers will be ineffective after 1/1/2019. What is happening with the green sticker in particular is the new limit of 70,000, which will likely be exhausted within the first quarter of this year. There is doubt that they will increase the limit yet again, but the precedent is there - perhaps their analysis of the HOV flow will yield more allowance, but I doubt it.

 

Well I mispoke a little I guess...Green Stickers no longer available soon, but they keep on adding more. So yes if you have a green sticker you are gold til 2019.

But we were talking from the perspective of NEW CAR PiP sales so someday soon (unless again extended) there will be no HOV reason to get a new PiP in CA.

This contrasts to VA where we have hybrid HOV plates, and even though the HOV program is mostly gone for new hybrid owners, orig owners who keep the HOV plates are grandfathered ad infinitum as long as they buy a hybrid again (hybrid re-buy retention bonus! silly but helps hybrid sales here)

 

I found four new PiPs in my area in Northern NJ, one '15, one '14, one '13 and one '12. That's at three different dealerships.