600 Toyota plug-in Prius hybrids going nowhere
What's taking so long?For years now Toyota has been testing lithium-powered plug-in Prius hybrids, and the company is currently rolling out a fleet of 600 plug-in hybrids throughout the world to, "understand the adaptability and the acceptance of the vehicle in the marketplace" .
Later this year GM and Nissan will begin rolling out plug-in vehicles, yet Toyota is at least two years away from rolling out their plug-in Prius.
Why?
It seems Toyota could easily match the plug-in production output that both GM and Nissan have planned for the next two to three years. So, why not compete, even if just for the sake of perception? What does Toyota have to gain or lose by waiting?
Labels: toyota prius plug-in hybrid
posted by Dahcredyns at
12:23 PM
7 Comments:
if that car is, in Toyota's opinion, not ready for prime-time... I'll take that opinion.
Toyota's reputation has taken a beaten lately... they probably don't won't to release a car with quality or reliability problems right now... just my tilt...
Yeah, that's probably right. All the bruhaha centered on the Prius's electronics. Putting out a vehicle with even more empahsis on the electronics would not make good business sense at this stage. Give it another 6 months and we'll start seeing the roll-out.
rollout plans were decided long before this problem. toyota has been pretty consistent in its 2012 suggestion.
ready for primetime? no one is saying that regarding any upcoming plug-in. all upcoming plans are pretty tempered for the first year or two, which makes most of these rollouts more about hype than actual, relevant sales.
while i can understand toyota not wanting to get caught up in some hype wars, might not plug-in availability, even if limited, help sell conventional hybrids?
of course, maybe toyota doesn't want to put plug-ins on the market until it can run with demand if far greater than expected? toyota has dealt with 6 mos+ waiting list on hybrids in the past, particularly in japan. perhaps they've learned this isn't good for business?
obviously, neither GM nor nissan can really sell a successful story based on current product. so, maybe plug-in hype is the only thing they've got, even if production capabilities are still extremely limited?
I think the fact that Toyota is going slow is pretty strong evidence of the prime time concept.
The batteries are not there yet but everyone except Toyota is apparently of the belief that a breakthrough is imminent whereas Toyota seems not as confident of that.
accelerator problems or not.. Toyota is not a dumb company on the whole.
toyota has claimed that their battery technology has proven safe and reliable. it's been cost they've continually cited as the problem to adoption.
according to the studies, those costs cannot be overcome without a breakthrough in battery technology because of commodity pricing limitations, and such a breakthrough would probably take at least a decade to roll out according to Argonne, for instance.
thus, i think every automaker knows that lithium-powered vehicles can only achieve limited volume for the next decade or two without a huge change in consumer behavior, or some incomprehensible - at least today - breakthrough.
in the interim, plug-ins are predominantly about perception. is it not advantageous for toyota to be in that game?
when Toyota says they're going to produce a real plug-in and not some marketing buzz concept car..then we'll know the time has arrived.
Until then.. a huge grain of salt with these other companies.
well, i wouldn't go quite that far in my labeling of the Leaf, Volt, or current plug-in Prius. despite production limitations its a good thing to get these vehicles on the road i believe, even though most of its about perception and marketing. still, such vehicles should develop a better understanding of the market and that's a good first step.
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