Toyota Prius

Better residual value: Hybrid cars versus plug-in cars

c hybrid offers best residual value compared to all hybrids and plug-ins

How does plug-in depreciation compare to hybrids?

Obviously, no one wants to buy a new car and then drive off the lot and suddenly realize its worth drastically less than what was paid. Unfortunately, all new cars lose value as soon as the dealer hands you the keys, which is why savvy financial folks, such as Warren Buffett, only buy slightly used cars.

And residual value after 5 years is an even scarier number.

So do hybrid or electric cars hold their value better? Read more…

June Sales: Toyota Prius not yet ready to take on the Camry

How many units could a sporty Prius move?

A serious Prius price decline is still needed

Before the end of this decade, Toyota believes the Prius family of hybrid cars will outsell Toyota’s best selling Camry. And based on Prius sale’s growth this year and the fact that there are still more than 7 years left in this decade, such a sale’s story could become a work of non-fiction.

Nevertheless, while Toyota’s Prius sales are noteworthy, they’re still no match for the Camry, at least based on June’s numbers. Read more…

Save money on a Toyota Prius hybrid this Fourth of July?

Think conventional Prius for the best Prius deal this 4th.

At least a little

Heading out for some car shopping this 4th? If you’ve watched TV recently, then you’ve no doubt seen the commercials for 4th of July car sales.

Unfortunately, at least based on pricing data from Carwoo!, the best deals below MSRP won’t be available on hybrid cars. Instead, the Ford F150 pickup truck leads the way.

Still, according to Carwoo! you can at least save a little money on a Toyota Prius hybrid this 4th. Read more…

Next gen Toyota Prius: Only cost matters

It’s not about how many more MPGs the Prius can squeeze out, but how much cheaper it can become.

Prius fuel efficiency mostly tapped, but price is still critical

With the fourth generation Toyota Prius on deck, one might speculate as to what it would take to push the Prius to the next level of sales.

Here, many would focus on the battery. Toyota has to switch to lithium, they’d claim. Others, might focus on making the plug-in version of the Prius Toyota’s top seller.

But, really, only one thing matters: price. Read more…

Toyota Corolla a better compact than the Toyota Prius?

A better deal than the Prius?

What is a compact?

The other day JD Power released their Initial Quality Survey details and there weren’t many highlights for hybrid cars. However, one result definitely caught my attention. According to JD Power, the Toyota Corolla is the best compact car, followed by the Toyota Prius.

Of course, is the Prius even a compact? Read more…

Battery-powered: Prius hybrid sales surging past estimates

How soon can Toyota increase Prius supplies?

New hybrids ordered for the growing US market

Toyota’s best year of US Prius sales was 2007, when the automaker sold 181,221 units according to Bloomberg. This year, thanks to the growing Prius family, Toyota aimed for 220,000 units. However, the Prius is now on a pace to blow past 250,000 sales in 2012.

And Toyota aims to ramp up production to meet this demand. Read more…

20 percent: Toyota’s hybrid car path to success embarrassing

Prelude to hybrid cars?

Prius family second best seller for Toyota

For the past two months Toyota has been the top retail brand in the US. During those last two months the Toyota Prius family has posted sharp increases in sales. For instance, up 126.9 percent in April compared to last April. In fact hybrids now represent nearly 20 percent of all Toyota US sales.

Years ago, some automakers publicly mocked Toyota’s hybrid direction. Even recently, plug-in advocates have criticized Toyota for being slow to embrace lithium and plug-ins, as well as offering a plug-in with only 12 miles of EV range. Yet, last month, Toyota didn’t just crush the rest of the auto industry in terms of hybrid sales, but the plug-in Prius also outsold all other plug-ins. Read more…

Fourth generation Toyota Prius 4 production headed to America

The fourth generation Toyota Prius sports coupe coming in 2015?

2015 Prius 4 appears headed for lithium

For a few months now Toyota has hinted that US production of the Toyota Prius was seriously back on the table. Once yearly sales start approaching 200,000 units, it is simply more cost-effective to localize production. Now Toyota appears to have confirmed that production on the fourth generation Toyota Prius 4 is headed to America.

Perhaps even more interesting, it seems the 2015 Prius will finally switch to lithium. Read more…

Shopping for a Toyota Prius? What Prius buyers should expect

Prius c supplies a bit limited

What to expect when buying a Toyota Prius

Recently, I went shopping for a Toyota Prius c. Essentially, I wanted to find out more about the c hybrid sale’s story from the dealership floor, or lot. Is there selection? Are their deals? So, since I was shopping the c, I thought I’d shop the whole Prius family.

And there is both good news and bad news for Prius buyers. Read more…

Hybrid cars. Still a great American mistake

It might be ugly, but its cost and fuel economy will be over-whelming

What if every automaker sold as many hybrid vehicles as did Toyota last month?

Yesterday was an interesting day. Turns out that hybrid cars are more green than plug-ins in a majority of American markets. And, even where plug-ins offer a significant green advantage, range anxiety and costs remain huge obstacles to widespread plug-in adoption. Unfortunately, those costs and that range anxiety probably won’t be resolved until sometime in the next decade according to another study released yesterday. Even then, the improvements might not be enough for all out mainstream plug-in penetration.

Quite simply, plug-ins have a long journey ahead, but for Toyota, mainstream hybrid cars are already here. Read more…