Mistakes: Many Prius drivers would rather drive a Volt
Shoulda had a Volt?
Did Toyota blow a big opportunity?
When the Chevy Volt finally went on sale after years of marketing, the folks over at LeaseTrader.com expected a number of Toyota Prius lessees to inquire about turning in their Prius leases in order to pursue a Chevy Volt purchase or lease.
Well, that early Volt marketing worked better than LeaseTrader expected, as the volume of calls they have received has far exceeded expectations according to the company.
“No doubt about it, the Chevy Volt has been the star of the auto world as we head into 2011 and this has not been lost on the average driver,” said Sergio Stiberman, CEO and founder of LeaseTrader.com. “GM has done a fantastic turnaround job with the company and the excitement about the Volt continues to grow headlined by many naming it the 2011 ‘Car of the Year.’”
Obviously, this is a trend that many expected as many Toyota Prius buyers are early adopters of green technologies, especially the latest green technologies. Likewise, with some pretty sweet Volt leases available thanks to government tax incentives, now might be the best time ever to lease a Volt, assuming you can find one.
And, while it doesn’t surprise me that a number of Prius drivers would love to plug-in, I wonder what percent of Prius drivers are ready to pay extra to plug-in? Moreover, if current Prius drivers had a choice between a plug-in Prius or a Chevy Volt, which would they favor?
Most important, however, did Toyota miss an opportunity by not launching a Prius to coincide with both the Volt and Leaf launches?
Considering that the third generation Toyota Prius was only recently launched, would the knowledge that a plug-in Prius was soon coming have affected the launch of the 3G Prius? Could both have been launched at the same time? Ultimately, did Toyota make a mistake, or will this be a moot point if Toyota matches Volt production with plug-in Prius production next year?
Larry, the plug-in Prius is mostly a Prius with a larger battery pack, but the software code is more extensive as well. And it’s too early to get caught up in pricing just yet. At $36,000 the plug-in Prius might actually be profitable. At $41,000 the Volt is not profitable according to GM, nor is it recovering the $1 billion in production costs. Likewise, there are plenty of ways to run the numbers where the plug-in Prius will still be a much more cost-effective choice for many drivers.
Ultimately, however, both are too expensive to be relevant beyond just early adopters.
I basically agree with those points. Toyota is going to eat GM’s alt vehicle lunch with the Prius for many years until they come up with a legitimate Prius contender, which the Volt is not.
Ultimately, my guess would be that most current Prius drivers aren’t interested in the Volt, or a plug-in Prius, unless costs were only a little higher than the Prius.
No interest in the Volt. Too little; too late. GM has no integrity in my eyes.
Plug-ins do nothing for me either until I know that less of the grid is fueled by coal.
Pricing is crazy, too. How about a car that I don’t need a federal subsidy to own.
” the plug-in Prius will only achieve about 10 – 14 miles of EV range with its 5.2 kWh lithium ion battery pack {and it costs $36K)!
is the Plug in Prius essentially the same as the hybrid version but just a larger battery?
or it like the Volt – where the gas engine essentially generates electricity for the hybrid electric engine?
I think GM got this part right. Now – the same car can use a variety of energy storage technologies including hydraulic and pressurize air because the basic setup that will always work is the gas engine / electric engine combo.
The Volt is a car that the average person can use without substantially changing their lifestyle – and that’s a key issue in my view.
If someone is contemplating a car that won’t fit into their current lifestyle without changing the lifestyle – that’s a pretty significant impediment to purchase.
So… what is the engine/drive train setup on the Prius plug-in?