Gtreat Forum, Great help and insight!

Great Forum, Great help and insight!

My wife and I bought a previously owned 2010 Prius IV with navigation and 33,000 miles - about 6 weeks ago and are enjoying the fuel economy immensely, especially with family and grandkids located in different directions 300 - 600 miles away.

So far we generally average 44 - 45 MPG on the interstates @ 71 - 72 MPH, according to the gauges (which I have read here are not really definitive!)

My wife and I have lived in Japan for the past 25+ years and the last 7 were in Toyota-shi (city). We returned to the States in December of last year and the sudden gas price jump here, plus our love to travel and see grandkids and family forced us to consider a fuel efficient auto. When in Japan, we lived in a neighborhood that comprised many mid level and upper level managers and engineers for Toyota Motor Company, and have many friends that work there. Our friends in Japan who had a Prius really liked them and that did influence our decision.

QUESTION: ON the manufacturer's ID on the drivers door post, at the bottom right under the TMC logo are the numbers "478." Does anyone know the meaning of that? Toyota City's city/zip code is 471-xxxx. "478" is very near to Toyota City, and one of the upper level managers told us that the Prius, after the 2008 economic world wide downturn, was going to be shifted to the Toyota/Nagoya area. (We knew about two months before some of my friends the Tupelo/New Albany, MS area that the Toyota plant there was going to be delayed and changed from being a Prius plant to a Camry plant.) Anyway, we were told when we were in Toyota that the Prius plant was being moved to the Aichi prefecture (Nagoya - Toyota) area, and the "478" designation puts it there. "478" is primarily "Chita city area" which I think is in the exit port area for Aichi, but I could be wrong and chasing rabbits. I would love to be able to say that our car was made only a few miles from where we lived in the Toyota area.

Thanks for a great forum. I have many question but I have found that the "Search" and "Stickies" answer many.