only kid in the parade with a balloon

I wonder if Toyota is aware of just how much business they lose with a waiting list so long. It's gotta be a considerable chunk, but has Toyota ever had such a huge list for any of their cars?

 

nope... the demand and waiting list for the Prius is unprecedented by a very wide margin.

fact is, cars priced for the main stream simply arent that exciting.

there has been eagerly awaited car models before. the hummer created a stir that lasted a few months, but there was no real shortage other than the first few months. (most of the shortage was created by pre-orders)

also the comeback of the VW Bug got some going. they were selling at a premium but were also not in any real shortage.

all other cars like the limited edition corvette and mustangs of recent years were simply priced out of the average car buyers range.

there is another thread here about an article in the Wall Street Journal proclaiming the Prius as the most popular car in the US for the TENTH MONTH IN A ROW. that basically is the entire 2004 model year.

its too bad that there was no effort (or no known effort) to determine how many sales the Prius lost because of time constraints and waiting lists.

There was a rental car place in Seattle that only got 8 of 20 something cars they ordered.

 

OK, that is just a LITTLE over the top! I mean, it is one thing to talk to someone while their car is in a parking spot, but running on the road??

I wish you hadn't. I think there are relatively few people who actually pay over MSRP, but those that do get the headlines and the few become the 'all' in peoples' minds. Just like the one guy with a Civic Hybrid that can't get more than 35 mpg (or whatever it is). When I had the rental, my neighbor told me they only get 25 mpg. He didn't know Jack, but he 'knew' they don't get anywhere the advertised mileage. If people are convinced the only way to get one is to pay, sometimes substantially, over MSRP, the gouging dealers make out to the detriment of the car overall. One of the great things about the Prius is what you get for the price. I contacted 8 dealers, got responses from 6, ALL said they charge MSRP. Instead, tell people the MSRP range for the packages and give them the downer of having to wait up to a year to get one.

 

I agree that you should not have told them they'd have to pay way over MSRP. I gather that most dealers are charging MSRP, a few are charging a bit over, and only a very few are charging exhorbitant prices. More likely is (as I tell people) that if they want one they'll probably have to wait a half a year. I think the really huge mark-ups are for the people who have bottomless pockets and are willing to pay to have it now. Like the poster who bragged about getting one one week (?) after deciding to get one, but who paid a $5,000 premium. He had the bucks and for his 5 grand he gets to drive the car during the 6 months he'd otherwise have had to wait. People who have more patience don't have to pay a premium.

Clearly, Toyota goofed when it calculated the demand based on sales of the Classic. The '04 crossed the tipping point between not quite good enough for most people, and just what everybody wanted. They seem to be increasing production as fast as they can.

The car is unique. It's the only full hybrid available. That, and the increased size from the Classic, combined to make it as popular as it is. In a year or two production will be up, and some of the demand will be siphoned off by other hybrids. All things come to he who waits.

 

Yeah, I can now see how the demand is unrivaled not just for Toyota, but for all the car companies.

I do think the problem is that more people than the car companies think tend to like more edgy cars. There certainly is a huge chunk of the population that will take a blandly-styled, run-of-the-mill car, but there is also a sizeable chunk that wants something different.

If you look just at exterior styling, which can be a huge draw for many people, you have the Chrystler 300, the Scion xB, and the Dodge Magnum, all of which are selling at high levels. Then you've got things like the new beetle or the PT Cruiser, which also sold well. The Prius is more than simply a different exterior style, but it still has it, and that, I am sure, contributes a bit.

Of course, the problem with the more edgy styling is that it's impossible to tell if it will work...it's a gamble. You look at the Pontiac Aztec, which was a stylistic leap, but fell pretty badly. And even if the style does succeed, it can still drop off dramatically or become stale, a la the PT Cruiser.

So in that sense, exterior styling is a gamble, just like anything in business, simply on a larger, more pronounced scale.

Past that, though, one needs to wonder why companies are jumping on the cutting-edge tech goodie bandwagon. For years cars have become more and more feature-laden, and yet rarely is there truely a huge step up...you look at the Prius and we get things like a push-button start, a redesigned shifting system, electronic this and that...I think other car companies could step up to the plate there too. Heck, if Dodge can say "Hemi" every other word, that feature being entirely useless, I think they could throw in "gadgets" and get equal success. Big engines and gadgets...equally useless, but people are still attracted by them. :mrgreen:

 

Perhaps I am wrong, then. I thought the overpricing was isolated.

I wasn't suggesting they not be told, however. I was suggesting they be told "Watch out for unscrupulous dealers charging over MSRP," rather than "You'll have to pay over MSRP."

 

The Tacoma dealer was trying to sell one on e-bay for $5k over... oh he added a $2,000 leather package to it to justify the cost.

 

And they are all UGLY. And the shoe box atop a shoe box xB? ukeleft: Of course, that's just me I can go for boring, my Odyssey was no cutting edge exterior design. The thing I like most about the Prius is the CVT/HSD package. It makes for good performance and mileage the Big 3 kept claiming wasn't possible. The value for the money: standard TRAC, auto climate control, electronic touch screen controls, heated mirrors (means nothing to So. Cal drivers, but I bet they'll be handy in VT). Available safety features - VSC, side curtain airbags, not available or only on more expensive cars. "Fun" features: SS/SE, transmission, accelerator and brake by wire. If they were asking $30K for a base model, I'd not be looking at it.

 

Re: over msrp

I agree with this - do tell them that some dealers are charging over MSRP, some a LOT more. Also tell them that there are a lot who are not. If most of the dealers in the Seattle area are gouging, then there are enough people who believe they have no choice and are willing to waste $$$. That perception has to change. The dealers will charge MSRP when no one will pay their "additional dealer profit for no value".