Toyota Lowers Sales Targets for 2016 Prius

You think so? When I bought my 2010 in May of 2009 They were nearly impossible to find, and most dealers were charging a premium...

 

When we wandered into a dealership in Nov of 2010 there was a glut of them, the one we picked had been built 15 months back, I noticed afterwards. Worked out.

 

it's a great time for hybrid buyers.

 

interesting. perhaps you were in a hot spot. from my recollection, they were 10 cents on the dollar.

 

"You bastards are lucky
Here I am happy that in EU gas is at low 6$ per gallon, down from 6.5....

Arisec,

We're lucky if you envy a country with an antiquated railway system and decaying highway infrastructure because of inadequate tax revenues. Cheap gas has kept our roads filled with trucks, SUVs and large cars. A lot of Americans drive what they want and don't give it a thought until the price of fuel gets their attention. Personal comfort comes first. The environmental consequences of the choice doesn't enter their mind.

 

...Prius is hard to beat as a practical family car, so I am not too worried about sales unless the Gen4 has unforeseen problems fitting in child seats etc.

Not sure I see a market for the Plug_in ver 2 with the loss of Ca green stickers, unless they keep extending those stickers and HOV access past 2019. Maybe that's in the cards,

 

shhh, there's a market, even if it's only me!

 

Take a look, there is also a market for all those cars selling less than Prius.

usedtolovecars is not convinced? Advertiser.ie - Toyota most successful brand in the 2016 TÜV report


Safety awards go to 61 models for 2016

 

Interesting! German cars are taking a beating, must be due to VW. Mini and VW the hardest hit.

 

did you see that jump in mustangs?

 

Yeah, Mustang is new for 2015!

 

wow, combine that with cheep gas and you've got a winner.

 

May 2009 was very early in the model year. By December they were selling at a discount from MSRP. In January they were selling at invoice. Timing is everything. Toyota will scale back Prius production in favor of the models that sell. China & the USA are buying SUVs.

 

The market would be those hooked on plugging in, but it needs enough range to be worth it, at a cost that's worth it.

 

November 2015 Dashboard
December 2014 Dashboard

For the US Liftback felll 9% ytd versus 2014, after falling 15.4% in 2014 verus 2013.

The prius liftback is almost a 7 year old design now, which combined with low gas prices has had a big drop.

103,676 in January-November 2015 versus 135,291 during the same period in 2013.

For Jim N, when I bought mine in october 2009 they were all at list price with extra crap unless you special ordered and waited. I special ordered, that was gulf states. By the end of the year the brake software fiasco was out, and the unintended acceleration in other toyota's with partial cover up lowered the price.

 

The real measurement should be how Prius fares against other hybrids. Even if all hybrids tanked, Toyota should still look at the percentages. Anything lower than the average means there is something else they should look at.

 

agreed. it's not a pretty picture, but toyota will usually do what is necessary to try and maintain a lead.

 

The last couple of years in the US the prius has been losing sales, but it has faired better than the hybrid market.

In Japan it has lost sales to a lower priced toytoa hybrid the aqua (prius c).

The problem for toyota is not being the big fish, it is the big fish. If the pond shrinks that is not good for the prius or hybrids. I still expect a shot in the arm from the gen IV, but its a little underwelming. They improved fuel economy, but if you want a spare tire or many popular options only by 2mpg (4%). They appeared to improve handling but not acceleration. NVH was improved, but at low engine rpm it wasn't really a problem and at high rpms it still doesn't sound good. It seems like a baby step which would have been fine a year ago, but while its been baking so long I expected more.

Add that to the lower gas prices, and more competition, and it doesn't look like 2016 gets us back to 2013. That's not good if you want more hybrids. Lowering the price would do wonders, and the price has not been announced, but I expect they won't drop list much from gen III similarly equiped.

 

sometimes, baby steps are all that's left. the real question will come if anyone can catch them, and then take a major leap that toyota couldn't. or maybe hybrids are just a bridge technology.

 

Others already took it(on par or better) and that is why heat is on Toyota.
Example: New Honda Accord Hybrid (better MPG than Camry, close to Prius) and much faster.
2016 Sonata Hybrid, little better than Camry Hybrid with much better ride.
2016 Chevy Malibu, better MPG than Camry hybrid

Technology wise, pretty much all these companies caught up, but form factor is some what different. With Prius form factor it is possible to get better Cd, and ofcourse space efficiency. It seems Hyundai is pursuing Prius fighter.

Reducing the forecast, Toyota already knows Gas is cheap, why it has to revise?
My guess is, in general public did not take kindly on the new design, and Toyota thought it is prudent to revise based on response.

We, on Prius chat forum, more receptive to the shape, but not so on any other forums. Overall response has been negative about the new design.
When Gen III is released, main criticism was about the console, not so much about outside shape. But Gen 4 is getting too much negative response for shape/design.