40mpg 50mpg And Now 60mpg ?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(T Dot @ Jul 19 2007, 12:03 AM) [snapback]481418[/snapback]</div>

40 mpg, i think you're referring to generation 1 and 1.5, but as you know the 50-60 mpg is a totally reworked body and ICE/Synergy Drive.

Honda has a major rework coming up soon, don't know when, and the others like Ford and Chevy, someone else will chime in I'm sure.

The Highlander, hmmm, i don't think you will gain much there, here's a decent thread to check out,
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=2...p;hl=highlander

 

The higher MPG ratings come from the Environmental Protection Agency (no, I am not making this up.) The EPA MPG numbers were supposed to be a way to compare fuel efficiency between car models, not a guarantee of true milage. So many people didn't understand, and the testing used was so artificial, that the EPA will revise the numbers for all cars in the 2008 model year, much lower than the current numbers, but closer to what average drivers can achieve.

The Prius still gets the best MPG with the lowest emissions. The Highlander and Lexus hybrids use the HSD for extra power, not lower fuel consumption. The Camry Hybrid is bigger and heavier than the Prius, so it gets lower MPG. It remains to be seen what Honda will do. The Insight got great fuel efficiency, the Accord, not so much, and it looked like any other Accord. Ford is using first generation Toyota technology. GM talks good.

In a capitalist world, vehicle price reflects what the market will bear. A US Prius costs a lot less that a European or Australian Prius, but it's a bigger market. Toyota will have a Prius plant in China...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(berylrb @ Jul 18 2007, 11:35 PM) [snapback]481436[/snapback]</div>

Honda is completing their work on the IMA Gen 5 which will be formally released in 2009. I would not call it a MAJOR rework because not much will change. In fact, the changes are going to be much smaller than the Gen 3 (Accord hybrid) to Gen 4 (HCH-II). This means that it will at most retain the new EV-only features with no other enhancements worth mentioning.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Jul 18 2007, 11:18 PM) [snapback]481457[/snapback]</div>

Hopefully a Chinese made Toyota will never make it to the USA. Toyota needs to build a USA Prius plant.

I would Not buy any car made in China, no matter how much you paid me. I'll buy a car made in Japan or USA before anywhere else.

 

It could happen that there will be no choice in the matter (vehicles or parts thereof made in China).

Prior to the Prius, the previous three vehicles I purchased were "Made in the USA." The last one, a GM vehicle, was finally assembled in Texas, with parts made mostly in Mexico, but had stickers on major parts (like the driveshaft, for example) that were "Made in China" (specifically, the Pudong Province, Shanghai) Automotive news reports that GM is opening more assembly plants in China, and investing more money into China, then they are or have in the US for many years.

So even American brand nameplates, owned by American corporations, assembled by American workers, have Chinese made parts. This trend is only increasing, based on the product announcements in the news.

There is no doubt there is a broad based American sentiment against "Made in China." It's hard to tell whether it's a fear of losing manufacturing and engineering jobs, a fear of losing a solo superpower economic status, or a more secret fear called racism.

Whatever it is, consumers have less and less choice in influencing the matter.



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wiiprii @ Jul 19 2007, 09:58 AM) [snapback]481645[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Jul 19 2007, 06:36 PM) [snapback]481871[/snapback]</div>

Consumers do have a choice--don't buy the crap. Tell the dealer & the manufacturer why you aren't buying the crap. Outsourcing works because the American consumer in general doesn't really care where the stuff is made.

 

Why should I care where it is made? I'm not talking from an economic standpoint either. If it has the same quality, or better, of a part made in the US, why should it matter? I'm not saying that it is equal or better quality though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Jul 19 2007, 12:18 AM) [snapback]481457[/snapback]</div>

Bill, I thought the main reason why Toyota managed to ramp up the Prius production so well over the last year and a half is because a good bulk of the Prius being sold today are produced/assembled in China already. In fact, this move worked so well for Toyota that even Honda is committed to do the same for their HCH-II.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MSantos @ Jul 20 2007, 12:12 PM) [snapback]481992[/snapback]</div>

The Prii made in China are for Chinese market only.
All other Prii are made in Japan.
The first character of VIN shows the country of origin.
http://fleet.toyota.com/html/vin_decoder.asp
Does anybody own a Prius which VIN does not start by "J"?

Ken@Japan

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Jul 19 2007, 07:33 PM) [snapback]481914[/snapback]</div>

This from a guy with a vehicle purchased from a Japanese company and assembled in Japan? What is it about the Japanese that makes them better than the Chinese or Mexicans, or Canadians?

As CBS4 said, you have no choice in the matter. You can talk big all you want about "Not buying the crap" but you don't know where the crap came from. Where do you draw the line?

Do you not buy from a non-American company?
Do you not buy a product that is not assembled in America?
Do you not buy a product that more than X percentage of non-American parts?
Do you not buy a product that has even 1 Chinese part? How will you know?

If it is the last one, then stop buying any retail product and just start making all your own stuff. You cannot find a electronic or automotive product that doesn't have Chinese components.

How do I know. Up until 6 weeks ago I worked for a Japanese company called Tuff Torq based in Morristown TN. They make hydrostatic transaxles for the lawn and garden market and utility vehicles. They supply all of John Deere's hydrostatic transaxles BTW and about 50% of the worlds market. We bought parts from ALL OVER THE WORLD. China, India, South-East Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Mexico, Japan, U.S.A. Nothing on our transaxles says that. It just says Made in the USA.

We live in a global economy. Get used to it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cbs4 @ Jul 19 2007, 03:36 PM) [snapback]481871[/snapback]</div>

Or maybe we're tired of their sneaky ways of trying to cheat every system to make more money? See melamine, lead paint in toys, banned antibiotics in seafood, all of this just in the past year.

Just imagine them saving some money by using some inferior parts in the safety systems of the Prius to save a Yuan in the cost. "What are the chances of being caught" seems to be their logic until they are caught.

 

Ken, we just got our 2007 Prius and it has a VIN that begins with a "J". Was it made in China? :huh:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Skinflint @ Jul 31 2007, 08:30 AM) [snapback]487676[/snapback]</div>

Maybe, the "J" stands for Jamaica, Jordan or Japan, but I'm sure it was not made in China.

Ken@Japan