2010's Not Jumping Off the Lots Everywhere

Yeah some topics can get us all really worked up. I guess we all have to deal with things in our own way. As you say it's not the end of the world if we are late, even tho it can be stressful.
Peace.

I guess this was waaaay off topic so I'll try and stay on topic.

 

Back on topic, the local dealer in San Jose has three in-stock and they said that they will have a lot more in the coming weeks.

The dealer said that they had called people on the waiting list, but no one has been coming in to pick up the vehicles. So, it's still first come first serve. No ridiculous add-ons either, and the cars are at MSRP.

So I think it's quite possible that once inventory increases, some dealers are going to be discounting these cars. It may not take too long at all.

 

Sorry Steve, your averaging 16 to 20mph, your problem isn't hypermilers, it's traffic mate.
Stay behind a hypermiler in traffic and relax. You will get there just as quickly and save some fuel not stopping and starting all the time.
I get sick of the wankers that pass me as I coast to a stop at a red light and pull into the lane in front of me reducing my coast distance so I need to brake. Then they tail gate the fool in front of them and dab the brakes every few seconds, clowns!

 

I know the dealer in Kansas City (Jay Wolfe Toyota) has 8 2010 models, mostly Blizzard Pearl, they are supposed to be getting in a good amount this next week, hopefully mine will be one of them!

 

The 2010's might not be jumping off the lots but here is an excerpt taken from Edmunds Inside Line this morning.

"In Japan, Toyota said its dealers have received 110,000 orders for the new Prius, and the waiting list is now five to six months."

Granted this is in the article about the plug in Prius but this is regarding the 2010's sales. So if the cars sell this well, they will not be lowering the price anytime soon.
Here is the link
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=149667

 

I guess I shouldn't really comment as I don't know your situation there having not experienced it. I can only go by my experience here and I drive at the same average speed as the traffic around me but some people think they need to go around me as I coast to a stop at red lights and think they are getting there quicker. Really all they achieve is they spend more of their time refilling their tank and get to the red light quicker than me. I normally maintain visual contact with these vehicles until one of us turns off.
I might add I don't consider myself a hypermiler but I don't see the point in racing to a red light to stop for longer. I also maintain a 2 or 3 second buffer in front of me to allow more constant speeds and safety. I drive the same way in my patrol car unless I'm engaged in a pursuit. Staying 2 to 3 seconds back allows me better vision of what's happening around me so suits patrol work too.

I always allow faster cars to pass on the open road but there is no point making a big effort in traffic. Hot car Harrys and the urban cowboys in utes think the 3 second space is for them to fill with their vehicles, that bugs me, but I know these clowns will change lanes again in a few seconds so I don't worry too much.

 

Near as I can tell for May 2009,

• ~10,000 Prius sold / 127 m Japanese - first month of 2010 Prius sales in Japan
• ~10,000 Prius sold / 304 m USA - 2010 Prius showed up barely in last week (*)

We know the USA Prius sales increased by about 1,600 units from April to May, 2009, from 8,400 to 10,000. This with only a smattering of the 2010 Prius arriving in just the last month.

I really don't 'have a dog in that fight,' since we already have a 2010 Prius on the driveway. No one can predict the future but I look forward to the June numbers. In particular, I suspect the percentage of new NHW20s will be all but gone. Then July should be the first 2010 only month. But I understand there are folks who worry about such things. For example, the right-wing radio speaker of the Republican party claims 'nobody wants a hybrid.' Given his recent track record, it sounds like there won't be enough 2010s.

Bob Wilson

* - perhaps 127/304, ~1/3d, of all USA citizens are 'turning Japanese, we are turning Japanese'

 

Well the JDM has a lot of orders and they are going to fill those before they fill all the US orders.
My opinion is that the Prius will become the new Corolla.
Toyota has sold Camry's and Corollas as the 2 top selling cars for many years. I think the Prius is going to join that list. It might not sell as many as the cheaper Corolla but it looks poised to become a volume seller.
I was a Republican for a great many years. i saw a lot of things go on and one day I woke up. Now I'm an Independant and happier because of it.
Freedom means you have a choice and I think you should have the right to choose a Hybrid, a Gas guzzling SUV or Muscle car, a Diesel car or hydrogen powered or electric plug in car.
I don't want some political party (either side) telling me what I should or shouldn't drive.
I like the Prius, so that's what I'm buying. If they made a Hybrid Aptera, I'd buy one in a second!

This is the vehicle I am waiting on it's going to be available as an electric or hybrid. it won't replace the Prius but it will make a great 3rd vehicle!
http://www.flytheroad.com/

 

This would not be the best policy as it would put the USA dealers between a rock and a hard place. There needs to be a reasonable allocation, a balance of Prius backlogs until the initial rush moderates. But if the USA sales were suppressed, it would also mean we'd eventually get a better Prius than the ones sold in Japan.

Toyota is very good about taking field experience and using this to improve their products. This could easily lead to significantly improved ZVW30s for the later buyers.

Bob Wilson

 

There is no question they are cutting back on US orders. The allocations are dropping over the next 2 months.
I think they want to avoid having a glut of cars being sold below MSRP. If they cut back US deliveries then the dealers won't have to deal as much. Makes sense when they are having trouble filling Japanese orders.

 

Is this a public number? Any rough numbers of the relative drop off?

Bob Wilson

 

I'm not a dealer, but I have heard that the numbers will be dropping. Of course it could be a regional thing but odd how as the JDM demand has increased, the numbers here have decreased. From what I have heard it's going to drop by quite a few units.
Don't ask who told me, it was in confidence and more than one region. I think it was about a 50% drop but I don't recall exactly.

 

Well if the US distributors would order 110,000 Prius's in advance, I'm sure Toyota wouldn't cut allocation. But the distributors would be crazy to order that many right now, they need to gauge actual demand after the pent up flurry of the first buyers are finished.

 

They're sure flying off the lots in Japan....

Selected portions of:

USA Today article - 6/4/09:

Toyota says hybrids will be the best 'green' car for some time

TOYOTA, Japan (AP) — A Toyota executive said Thursday a battery breakthrough is needed for electric vehicles to become mainstream, and hybrids will remain the best "green" car choice for some time.

His comments came just hours after the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Toyota's Prius hybrid was the No. 1 selling vehicle in Japan for May, clinching the top spot for the first time — even though the latest model had been on sale for only half the month.

The Prius is the cumulative top seller among hybrids. Toyota has sold 1.27 million Prius cars around the world since it went on sale in 1997.

The Prius is a bright spot for Toyota, which has recently racked up its worst loss since its 1937 founding. In May, Toyota sold 10,915 Prius cars in Japan, beating Honda's new hybrid, the Insight, the top-seller in April. The Insight fell to third at 8,183 vehicles.
Toyota dealers have already received 110,000 orders for the Prius in Japan. Toyota is targeting sales of 400,000 Prius vehicles globally a year.
Dealers in Japan have been so flooded with orders a customer ordering a Prius today won't get it until November or later, says Toyota, which also makes the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models.

Toyota says hybrids will be the best 'green' car for some time - USATODAY.com

 

Do they have any Pkg Vs?

 

DOES anyone know why the gen III's do not come fully loaded? is it price? why no solar panel/moonroof with the tech package and the 17" rims?

(((((((

 

This was covered somewhere else on the site (perhaps someone else remembers where!), but I believe it has to do with the weight of the car, which, in turn, effects the overall MPGs.

 

It isn't public knowledge, I do see a definite trend in the numbers available for my region. And Steve was pretty close, I have the difference between June and August as a 60% drop. Now, this could all change of course, but usually it has a +/- of 5% from month to month.

Rough numbers are 1700 in june to 700 in august. Again, this is going to be different in all regions, so your region may vary. And Toyota could decide to up the numbers at any time once they see how many orders are being placed.

FWIW, we sold 7 2010 prius on Saturday alone. I got 4 of them (the managers know what salesperson to get ). Aside from a few builds here and there, I am sold out through July and quite possibly August now if you want a IV or V package.

 

Holy Carp!



That is going to make August look pretty ugly if these numbers hold. It sure makes cranking up that Mississippi plant and/or doing something with the Georgetown Plant a much more attractive option.

Bob Wilson

 

Carp?

That looks like a pregnant seal in some Mardi Gras paint!