Featured OH No! Toyota Might Ditch the Prius c, v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) and Plug-In Hybrid

It is Jim Lentz, Toyota USA president comparing the two vehicles. They tried to sell the prius v as a crossover hybrid, but now they have a real crossover hybrid, not a wagon. RAV4 is unibody like a car, the biggest difference is cafe credits, it is not a truck based SUV like the 4 runner.

In the US, because of the way they structured CAFE, the cute ute, like the rav4/cr-v/escape have taken over from the station wagon. When I was a little kid we had a station wagon, my sister in law drives a rav4. There is a big gap between the gen IV prius liftback 52mpg and 42mpg prius v. Many can make do with the liftback, or really want that much bigger more powerful rav4.
Compare Side-by-Side

The prius v needs to be redesigned to share platform with the gen IV liftback, or be cancelled. I think the key is if Toyota thinks it has a future in the Japanese market to see if its worth the investment. If it was only the world outsdie of Japan, there really is not a business case for it. If they build a good one for japan, why not export it to north america.

 

Isn't there a prius prime coming? Last year Toyota trademarked the name. Maybe that's the new prius v. I doubt the plugin would be called that.

 

They dont sell enough maybe need some marketing it is a different car for different need I did not know about the v before see a taxi stop in front of a hospital after see the prius badge i was curious so i read on it 2 week later i bought one cause it was fitting my need the most. I also read many missinformation about it from people who badly compare and dont know what they talk about. if I did not have look further I would probably pass my self.
Anyway Toyota could try to compare as much as they want but for me rav4 will alway look and feel like a truck and MPG is not there they are 2 different car for 2 different people. I bought the v because I want a mid luxury CAR who have a lot of cargo space and best mileage and it fit 2015-16 new bumper design dont help them either......

 

I've enjoyed my '12 PiP for 4 years and 130K miles. 100% reliable and trouble free. And it gets me free HOT lane / solo HOV lane around Atlanta, which is why I bought it. The AER has been a little disappointing, but not a surprise .
That said, A used PIP looks like a bargain these days. I'm seeing nice 2012's with around 25K miles for about $13K. All of the above at way less than half the original price. I'm seriously considering selling the '07 Prius (180K miles) and having 2 PiPs!

 

Lifetime MPG? HV and Combined?

 

They definitely sell poorly in europe. I think this strange OP article is Toyota USA telling Toyota Japan they do not want to sell the prius v. After the v sold really well in 2012 in japan, it had a bad 2015, and we expect a bad 2016 unless there is a redesign. A camry hybrid wagon (venza) makes more sense for american market, and the vehicle already is big enough for the same tax class in japan.

Sure, I'm not so sure that people that want the "more space" than the liftback don't also want more power. That then becomes a more expensive product to build a prius wagon than a camry hybrid wagon. I think in the US the rav4 also killed the venza.
The Toyota Venza Is Dead: Here's Why - The Truth About Cars

Maybe US customers don't really want a toyota wagon. European customers want one even less. The subaru outback is the best seller in the US for a wagon. Perhaps something more like that with all time electronic awd would work in the US.

 

The Outback might be the best selling wagon, but Subaru classified it as a SUV and truck for the EPA.

 

Not true. Compact and mid-size cars here sell very well in their wagon formats.
The Toyota line-up has 2: Toyota Auris Touring Sports, Avensis Touring Sports.
Here the best-sellers (compact or C segment) are Peugeot 308, Volkswagen Golf, Opel/Vauxhall Astra, Renault Megane, Seat Leon, Ford Focus, Honda Civic...(even BMW 2 Tourer)
And mid-size (D segment) Volkswagen Passat, Ford Mondeo, Peugeot 508, BMW 3, Mercedes C, Audi A4, Volvo 60...all with their wagon variant eating more than half the sales.

 

The auris is what americans call a hatchback. We don't get the avensis here, does the wagon version actually sell well in europe? If it does that may make a better selling hybrid, but I doubt it really sells well.

So we have hatchbacks and non-toyota wagons. Toyota does not seem to hit the wagon format well in america or europe.

 

Please don't doubt my words.
First I started with the Toyota wagon examples. Just that. Nor more nor less important than the other examples cited.
Auris Touring Sports is this:
Auris Touring Sports | Hybrid & Diesel Cars | Toyota UK
Avensis Wagon:
Avensis | MPVs & Family Cars | Toyota UK
Both are wagons, both Toyota, both sell very well. Is this difficult to believe in?

There are more europeans around, they can confirm.

 

I stand corrected on the auris touring sport. I had no idea that thing existed, and never saw one. Still the prius+/prius v/alpha has sold poorly so far in europe. maybe no need in europe since the auris touring sport doesn't need an import duty and is so similar.

On the avensis, looking that up, it sells quite badly now. Perhaps they will base the next generation on the camry hybrid.

 

Again you show some "I", "I".
Make yourself comfortable and believe what others say here, specially with regard on a region you do not live in.
Avensis itself may not be the best seller (premium brands have grow a lot), but the wagon is more sold that the sedan.
There is no way the Auris TS be similar with Prius+, because the first is compact wagon, and Prius+ seats 7.
Also there is the Toyota Verso here, also 7 seat. Have you ever see one?
Toyota Verso - Um versátil monovolume de 7 lugares.


See, you cannot know everything, but at least trust what I write.

 

price is a deal breaker in Europe prius v + is 37k euro (42k USD) outch 10k euro more than Auris maybe Toyota just dont want to sell the v

 

I travel to europe fairly often, but it is a big place. I'm only looking at the numbers. I've never seen an auris wagon, and although I probably saw avensis, i didn't know what it was.

Hey its Jim Lentz, you know the toyota guy that looks like he wants to kill the prius v/prius+/alpha. It is not a good seller, in fact it sold less than 7500 copies a year in the eu after 2013. Perhaps toyota has the prius + priced badly and marketed worse, but that tiny volume probably does not justify redesigning with european safety.

Toyota Prius+ European sales figures
Toyota Avensis European sales figures
avensis after selling over 140 thousand in 2004, only sold 33,197 last year. The article I read about poor sales said maybe toyota would base next one on the camry, at least that has a hybrid version that sells well, and a wagon version may be better suited to europe than the prius plus.

That is a crazy high price. I don't understand toyota pricing in europe. Maybe toyota doesn't either as they are struggling under 5% of the market.

 

...when I got into a cab in EU the cabbie told me my $25 blue jeans would cost $EU100 there. So it's a different market, things are more expensive. OK it's only 1.08 to the Euro/$ today.

 

Re the Prius v poor sales ......

Unlike some that write on PC that looks don't matter, the Prius v is downright ugly. That just has to be a factor in poor sales.
Just my opinion.

 

They sold well in 2012. That was before the c-max and the avalon hybrid/ESh, and the aqua/prius c. Japan had higher hybrid incentives in 2012 and 2013. One problem with the alpha/prius v is it falls into a higher tax catagory in japan than the prius liftback.

 

Still just an opinion:
I agree, the 2012 looked good and did sell well, but that was before they 'beat it with an ugly stick.'
Anyway, I was mainly talking about the US market. I was at the dealer this week, and they have a boat-load of new v's, and I see very few of the newer models (easy to spot) on the street.

I know, I know, I'm too visually oriented. But if I am going to go into debt to acquire a new vehicle, in addition to all the other noteworthy Toyota attributes, i cannot be embarrassed over the looks of the vehicle.

 

Yeah, socialist tax structures might have something to do with that...

I don't know, I kind of like the boxy looks. It was the mpg (and now MPGe) that didn't have me buying one. 10 mpg less than the liftback. Why?

 

Gee, might it have something to do with larger frontal area, heavier so geared differently, larger cargo capacity, more passenger room, different aerodynamics for a high rear end ...

Different people value the utility over the last 8-10MPG. My son doesn't, but I'm the one that lugs the stuff.