Toyota Plots Comeback for Prius After Tesla Takes Spotlight

It's about time I go test drive a bunch of cars similarly priced to my Prius. Need to compare.

 

And THAT is where the Prius wins or loses. I love the Prius. I have 2 2Gs, and we have 5 Prii in the family so far. But if when compared to cars in the same price range, they come up lacking, Toyota is going to lose.

Not that I can afford one right now, but if the Prius were in my price range, I'd be looking at the Volt instead. Being able to have my wife drive it all the way to work on a single charge means that it might never get the tank filled. The PiP CANNOT fit that need. While her current 55mpg or so is great, replacing it with another 55-60mpg or even 100+mpg when we could get an essentially all electric car makes zero sense.

For me, though, with my usage of my Prius, the best replacement would be a v.

 

true, but if you make less cars than there is demand, that's the result you will get.

i'm not trying to get tesla owners badge in a knot, my point is that the comparison is ridiculous, and so is every assertion made in the article.

 

you've laid it out succinctly, but i don't see the problem. toyota is in business to make a profit. to do that, they make and sell automobiles. seems to be wiring out pretty well for them.
tesla is (basically) a one trick pony. the halo does them no real good.
toyota wanted to build a car for the future. unfortunatelyfor them, and for all the bandwagon jumpers, the future hasn't arrived.

 

Maybe if Toyota would have taken heed to this petition;

Petition · Build electric cars. · Change.org

..... they wouldn't have to be thinking about making a comeback. But instead, they thought it wise to run a negative ev campaign.
.

 

actually, since prius was designed to provide low emissions and high mpg's, nothing in it's price range beats it.

 

they have nothing to come back from. if they were making a leaf like car, they'd be in the same position they are now, except they would have a leaf like car in the line up. another thing for haters to complain about because it only goes 80 miles on a charge.

 

I agree comparing the Model S to the Prius is rediculous.
That is not, however, what is being compared.

What is being compared is the chatter. The public, and media view that Toyota once had with the Prius, Tesla is now getting.

Making inflammatory statements such as "bleeding money" is not typically the type of statement someone makes unless they are trying to provoke.

 

The issue is not the car's future so much as the companies future. Telsa's entire corporate plan is future focused. Both Tesla and most EV knowledgable folks are fully aware Telsa is a niche company today with plans of broadening beyond that high end niche.

Meanwhile, Toyota's future only seems to emphasis abandoning the EV and PHEV future market...which is hardly a future niche that will remain insignificant. This leaves the forward thinking Prius owners looking beyond Toyota and the Toyota over-devoted fan club rationalizing how the PHEV and EV market must forever remain a niche.

 

the future isn't in our hands. if it were, i'd be in vegas.

 

The future IS in our hands.
Each and every one of us has some impact on the future.
Just how big that impact is can vary, but we all have an impact.

 

true, but we can't predict it, only effect it. and we really have no idea what effect we have.

 

Yeah but wasn't it a piece at a time? Like a puzzle?

And yeah they are rather tight lipped about the PiP other than to say it'll be 6 months to a year after the Gen IV Liftback comes out.

 

Yes they are making a lot of money on trucks and SUVs in the US right now.
Toyota Reports Surprise Record Profit on U.S. SUV Demand - Bloomberg Business
But having a green tech halo appears to be important to toyota, and they are spending a lot of money and time on trying to sell the american public that the mirai is it. This seems to be doing about as well as the escalade hybrid + fuel cell equinox strategy of bob lutz and rick wagoner. That strategy lead to underinvestment in things gm should have been investing in. Toyota has deep pockets, and we should see how well they invested in the next gen plug-in when it comes out. I hope they don't pull a lutz.

That halo, got them the ability to issue a lot of low interest bonds and get big money from the state of nevada. That should help them have enough cash to release a higher volume model 3.

Toyota's prius halo probably got them the $350M in government money to open that prius, oops now corrola plant, in mississippi. Toyota has gotten a lot more taxpayer money than tesla, and has $60B in the bank. They probably don't need a halo as much as they did in 2003.

 

Anyone, exactly what month and year was Toyota 'leaking gen iii / 2010 pics all over the place'? (prior to Jan 2009 unveil at NAIAS)

 

I would say any leaks that look bad, just look bad.

any leaks that look good, would hurt gen III sales, and they suck already. Why make them worse.
Good corporate policy says don't leak the gen IV.

Now gen ? plug in leaks might be a good idea, if toyota wants to reduce the damage of its mirai PR campaign. Unfortunately we don't know if corporate has come to terms with whether they want to sell a plug-in or not.

 

I'm sold on the chart showing November '15 production start for 'Prius' (4th gen). with that, it's too early for any leaks. In September, leak away!

 

Sure we do have an idea. Doing good things have positive effects. The specifics may be unknown, but the karma of it all does play out.

 

Toyota knows what they are doing, that is why they are the number one car company in the world, and enjoy taking risks. Remember Lexus, 1980 was just an idea, look at Lexus today! Prius did not sell that well the first several years, but now is the number one selling vehicle in California. Scion division came out strong and is still doing well with the help of the FRS. No one should be comparing Tesla with Toyota. I just don't see Tesla on the same playing field as Toyota. If anything Toyota should be concern with Hyundai another power house who likes to think outside the box and takes risks. Is Tesla better as a luxury car then Prius, absolutely, but they are not being marketed to the same people. 2nd gen Pruis where all the rage in Hollywood and still are to some degree, how many cars can say the same in this day age?