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Is the Prius Prime being de-emphasised by Toyota

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by schja01, Nov 24, 2019.

  1. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    As of this morning when I looked the Prime wasn't even shown in the Alternative Fuel photo at the top.
    It's not until you get to the bottom the the page (just above the Mirai) that it's given any print.
    Hmmm. What is it that Rodney Dangerfield use to say?

    Toyota Alternative Fuel Vehicles
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    hard to say. toyota has a love/hate relationship with prime. they hate plug ins, but they love cali carb credits.
    i think you'll see continuous marketing changes (just like rebates) based on their credit situation.
     
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  3. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    First, keep in mind that Prius rarely gets advertised anyway. In fact, Toyota has even stated the power has been passed to us, where owner endorsements are far more effective. So, we end up promoting it via word-of-mouth instead.

    Second, Toyota has a long history of being a quiet player. They simply don't promote until they are ready. That means regardless of how intense the rhetoric gets, it really doesn't matter to them. Their cards aren't played until it's time to call.

    Third, the strategy of diversification is absolutely vital at this stage. To be able to both reach deep into their own customer base and to take advantage of the tax-credit phaseout opportunity, they will wait until supply is built up before jumping.

    Watching the inventory rise in the established states, it's rather obvious Toyota focusing on them prior to the RAV4 Prime reveal. Quietly wait for old inventory to be cleared out while delivering the mid-cycle update (2020 model introduces a middle-rear seat) in the meantime. That sets the stage for an onslaught of purchases from those wishing to take advantage next month to file a credit claim on their 2019 taxes rather than having to wait an entire year for 2020 taxes. Then in mid-January when the Detroit autoshow stirs attention for RAV4 Prime, Toyota can then respond accordingly. If deliveries to the established states keep up with demand, rollout to the rest of the United States can begin. If not, supply will continue to focus there. At some point, national rollout will begin. It's not like you can't order a Prius Prime elsewhere. You just have to wait.

    The point is Toyota offers a variety of choices and they are working hard to discontinue traditional vehicle offerings. The increase of warranty across the board to 10yr/150k is solid evidence of that. Drawing attention to new choices is key. So, we are likely to see emphasis on the AWD Prius in the meantime. The new look and that obvious new feature is very well timed to coincide with the dramatic changes unfolding in the industry, related to both dropping demand for cars and the desperation of others to distract from the success Toyota is having with hybrid upgrades.

    In other words, 2020 is going to be a year to remember. Think about where the market will be by Earth Day. Neither GM nor Tesla will have tax-credits available anymore, while Toyota will be very well positioned to take advantage of them.
     
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  4. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    Just that too many Toyota models I've owned loved have turned into one hit wonders.
    Previa
    Venza
    Prime??

    Fortunately my kiss of death spared the Camry (conventional and hybrid), Corolla and of course the Prius (traditional).

    ;);)
     
    #4 schja01, Nov 24, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2019
  5. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    The Prius isn't even in that first photo.
     
  6. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Depends upon the device you view the link with, due to resolution constraints. On my laptop, there are 5 vehicles shown in the introduction. Prius is indeed one of them. On my phone, there are only 3.

    Paging down, there's a section for Prius, which was clearly well thought out. It looks nice on both devices. Both mention AWD-e and Prius Prime. Following that are "Learn More" breakouts for each.
     
    #6 john1701a, Nov 24, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2019
  7. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    On my iPhone I get the 5 cars in landscape and 3 in portrait.
     
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  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Rumour has it that the Venza will return.

    Whoa. Never noticed that. Nice catch. Also good for the web devs to actually make two different versions.
     
  9. Dimitrij

    Dimitrij Active Member

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    Large global companies like Toyota run a huge number of nameplates (under several brands), and they are not the same in all the markets Toyota sells into. The Previa on the US market was replaced by the Sienna, but elsewhere it continued for another 20 years.
     
  10. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    I heard that last May. As a Hybrid variant perhaps.
     
  11. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Venza's old problem was that it wasn't different enough from the Outback. The Outback started to crush it for sales, and the result was too close to cannibalism given Toyota's investment in Subaru.

    Bringing back the Venza as a hybrid, possibly by borrowing hybrid Camry stuffs, could give them (another) replacement for Prius v and make the Venza different enough to stand out and catch buyers who weren't going for the Subaru anyway.
     
  12. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Those faux side vents had me thinking the Prius was the Mirai.

    We may talk about the Prime like it is a separate model, but it isn't. It is a Prius. I wouldn't read anything into it not being in the photo with the Prius there.
    How about, I don't know, making it an actual wagon and not a SUV wannabe.

    The European brands don't seem to have a problem with selling wagons in the US, and they even offer AWD without a lift. The Camry is getting AWD, and I don't think its ground clearance is going up.
     
  13. bresna

    bresna Active Member

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    The Venza was a dog at the gas pump. The thing was rated 26 mpg highway and the few people I knew who had one said that they never got near that.

    On top of that, it was expensive as hell, with most of them trending toward $45K on most lots up my way.
     
  14. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    @Trollbait A hybrid Camry wagon would be a pretty easy sale to me.

    The Outback has long since gone on to the deep end of Crossingover. You're right, there's plenty of room for an honest wagon.
     
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Nice. A PHEV Version would be better. HiHy can cover the hybrid part.
    That can’t be right. In Canada, it topped out at $41k for the Limited V6. That would translate to about $37k USD.

    Can’t wait for the ID Space Vizzion. Although rumour has it that VW will raise the suspension and sell it as an Alltrack version for the US market.
     
  16. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    Agreed. I owned two of them. The latest a 2013 XLE AWD V6 for 35K. That was pretty much top of the line. My other was a 2009 for the same price and feature set.
     
  17. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    I've said they needed to drop the HyCam drivetrain into it.

    As a cross-shopper of the two back then, the Venza also lacked the newer safety tech of the OutBack.

    That was another deal breaker for me; LOTS of poor economy threads on Venza forums, Fuelly.com, etc.
     
  18. Maine Pilot

    Maine Pilot Senior Member

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