The plug to become standard on 2014 Prius?
2014: All Prius hybrids to plug-in
Plugging in across the Prius family?
For 2012, Toyota will begin selling a plug-in version of the Toyota Prius. However, by 2014 the plug could become the standard option for the Prius model according to at least one report.
So, will the plug also become standard for the entire Prius family? Will the plug-in Prius cost the same as a conventional Prius?
For now there are far more questions than answers.
For instance, not long ago Toyota announced that later this decade, the Prius family would outsell the Camry. To achieve that goal, it seems the Prius has to become cheaper. Can the Prius become cheaper while adding a larger battery pack and plug?
According to some rumors the price of the 2012 Toyota plug-in Prius could cost as much as $36,000 before any tax credits. That’s more than $12,000 atop the price of a base Prius. So, is Toyota assuming they can squash this price difference by 2014? Will the 2012 plug-in Prius be much cheaper than expected?
Even if a plug-in Prius could be sold at the same price as a conventional Prius, wouldn’t a conventional Prius using a smaller battery still be cheaper? Considering many Americans still won’t even have the ability to plug-in regularly by 2014, wouldn’t a non-plug-in Prius still offer considerable sale’s potential for this consumer segment?
Additionally, how does this plug-in potential impact the upcoming Prius V and Prius C hybrids?
Again, lots of questions and few answers. It’ll be interesting to see how this story plays out, but this rumor seems to defy numerous previous Toyota hybrid forecasts, as well as logic to some extent. Nevertheless, if true, it seems Toyota has achieved a battery breakthrough that the company deemed almost impossible not very long ago.
Source: MotorTrend
Previously, Toyota has suggested that in the late 2020’s the plug might become the standard option, although those weren’t official statements, but projections from top level research execs.
Essentially, the idea is that a majority of Toyota cars will be hybrids by around 2025 and onward due to declines in battery costs and not long after, the difference in hybrid and plug-in hybrid costs will be cost-effective enough to sway most consumers to add a plug to their hybrid.
I notice on their website they are asking people to sign up for one but their FAQ says this:
” Where and when will the Prius Plug-in be available in 2012?
The Prius Plug-in will be available starting around spring 2012 in 15 launch states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii,* Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Availability will open up to all other states in 2013.”
Toyota has already denied this.
The plug-in option will not be standard on future Prius models.
They see the plug-in option only as a small percentage of the hybrids they will sell in the future.