Toyota model sales order: Camry, Corolla, Prius

Not really puzzling.
There is more choice/competition in alt-energy car models than ever before.......and gas prices have been decreasing....going down sharply around Sept.

 

While the members here understand the technical and practical aspects of the Prius, the General Population is driven by emotion and ads that lead them to impulse purchases.

Witness the increase in sales of Chrysler products with the Ron Burgundy fake anchorman commercials.

Some of the worse rated cars sell just because of image and ignorance.


How many know that the Chevrolet Spark is a "Daewoo" made in Korea? The buyers think it is an American car.

 

definitely gas prices and competition. i suppose we need to see sales of other hybrids. if they're up, they're probably stealing from toyota. especially with overall demand constrained by the price of gas and politicians starting to tax hybrids.

 

As others have pointed out, there is more competition. The Prius has had several years of being the only practical and affordable hybrid in town. The Civic wasn't practical for a family car, and the Fusion was pricier. As an added bonus, it had a large mpg advantage. That has changed.

Not only have previously available hybrids have improved, there are more makes offering them. Plus more offerings from Toyota too. The larger sedans are likely more comfortable to travel in for a family, and the Prius c can beat out the liftback on a typical commute. Why would a household get two Prii when they can get a Prius c and another hybrid that is better for group outings?

The Prius is also long in the tooth. Some of those that want its balance of size and fuel economy are waiting to see what the next gen offers, or simply to get a deal on a gen 3 then.

PS I know my Sonic was designed by Daewoo, now GM Korea, and is still called the Aveo in much of the world. It also has a 500kg tow rating there, but not here.

 

I prefer reliability to dodgy. I waited more than 12 years before buying a Prius.

Over the last 50 years, I've been "screwed" many times by being an early adopter to the NEW hype.

 

Hype sells. If you are a Teflon brand, lying about your car's mileage sells too.

I've often wondered how well a older, proven bullet proof car would sell. Same basic car with safety upgrades, no big touch screen, no sheet metal changes every year, and a lowered price due to tooling being allocated over a much longer life.

Not well. If you had a fantastic car five years ago, and it's still unchanged, but fantastic, you'll read the reviews about being Outdated, in need of a refresh......

There is a major change coming up for the Prius liftback. I dread the next change to my new V, which will put the resale firmly in the toilet. But it needs a better interior, more HP, some minor touches.

 

Not worried about resale value. I expect to own my "v" beyond 2025. Unless something really unfortunate happens, it will likely make it.

I still have my 1998 Mazda MPV, and it is still running well.

 

That was my plan as well. If it's as reliable as all my Toyota's have been, should be no problem.

 

Yeah,

Simply reliable is much better than high tech, trendy and "iffy."

 

I'd imagine the Prius V and isn't doing so hot because people either don't need that extra room, especially for the decreased mpg vs a regular prius, and the price of it. It's also competing against the Ford C-Max, which, for all it's problems, seems preferable to a lot of people due to its better acceleration and fun-to-drive factor, compared to the v anyway.

In the plug-in's case, I think it's largely due to the fact that it's not available in a lot of places, hence why it's not a big seller. It seems they're only available in the West coast and New England states, which makes it hard for someone in the Midwest to get one. I'm sure the cost is also a factor, but with the recent price cuts they don't cost too much more compared to a decked-out prius. But the limited range in all electric mode is probably turning people off from it, since most of them figure it's just another prius after that.

 

There are a several of other things that I wonder if they are contributing to lower Prius liftback sales...
1. There is a good supply of used liftbacks compared to other models like the "V" or the "C" so people, like myself, have the option to purchased a used liftback vs. new.
2. With winter weather people may be more likely to be looking to other vehicles with more clearance and even four wheel drive.
3. People may be waiting for the next version with hopefully even better MPG.
4. People are trusting the Prius more and are keeping them and driving them to higher mileages.

I bought a used 2010 Prius with 76,000 miles last May and it now has 96,000 miles. I plan to drive it until the body rust away like most other vehicles I have bought. If this means the 3rd traction battery pack and 500,000 miles so be it. But if in a few months a new version comes out that gets better MPG than the new Honda Accord Hybrid and has regen braking on all 4 wheels I might consider buying a new Prius. But it will take something like 75 MPG in the winter to be enough better to tempt me away from my 2010.

 

It's no secret that Toyota has not put "Fun To Drive" into their business model. I've driven a C-Max and it is definitely fun to drive. The form factor makes it a preferable choice to those that Really, Really wanted a small SUV. There's also no question that the Fusion is more fun to drive around than a Camry or a Prius. Couple that with their continued gas mileage claims and you have a real threat.

If not for the reliability I've received from Toyota over the many years, I'd probably never enter their showroom. It's only a matter of time before hybrid technology is fantastic amongst all the brands. But it's simply not all about gas mileage. If I'm a brand new car buyer that's driving all the current models, I'm going to pick the best overall mix. That goes to sedans as well as other formats. If a new Accord Hybrid comes out and gets 40 mpg combined and I drive it and a Camry hybrid, with no other information I'm buying the Accord.

Think about this from the broad market perspective. People sit in cars and survey their surrounds. Seats, dash, etc...not to mention exterior designs. From that perspective, Toyota had better pick up their game and quickly. These days, you're talking about $25,000 and up in these markets, not the days of old.

 

I've been burned for buying the first year offering of a NEW model many times. Never again.

 

The lower prius liftback sales aren't much of a mystery, hybrids grew more than cars in general. Prius sales shifted to other hybrids.

December 2013 Dashboard - HybridCars.com

Clearly the biggest gainers in term of volume are the ford fusion hybrid and c-max versus a year ago. The LEH/TAH also had strong sales. Its unlikely prius customers bought one of these two, but their was likely a move from TP to TCH, and then from TCH to LEH/TAH.

 

I used to think that way too, but actually I have been burned more lately on the last year of the model. I wonder if the accountants start getting too involved towards the end of the model while the engineers are working on the new one. The accountants come up with "cost savings" as the years go by and cheapen was started out as a good design.

 

4th time in a row for me. Each one has been a gem... 2001 Prius, 2004 Prius, 2010 Prius, 2012 Prius PHV

 

I also think that the Prius C a taking some sales away from the standard Prius. So, it's a win-win for Toyota.

 

There is no question that the prius c and prius v eat into prius sales, but prius c + prius v were 41,979 + 34,989 in 2013 around the same as 35,733 + 40,669 in 2012. Its got to be other cars eating into 2013 liftback sales, and I listed those 4 cars above.

 

with hybrid sales up 15% year over year, there's not much room for complaint. except that truck sales were up.