Current Prius rumored to get price cut to compete with Insight
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius
According to AutoExpress' Japan correspondent, Peter Lyon, when the 3rd generation Prius goes on sale in Europe next year, the current model will continue to be sold at a discount along side its modern counterpart. The rumored decision by Toyota is in response to the release of the new Honda Insight hybrid, which will start at around £15,000 when it goes on sale this March. In the report, Lyon contends that Toyota wants to woo people into showrooms with the current Prius' lower sticker in an attempt to compete with its cross-town rival. We're interested to see how this will play with consumers and wonder if Toyota will use a similar tactic when the next generation Prius goes on sale in the States around the same time.
UPDATE: AutoExpress' report has been denied by Toyota. No surprise.
Gallery: Confirmed: 2010 Toyota Prius
[Source: AutoExpress]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
JDMlover 2:32PM (10/22/2008)
lmao the insight
i guess toyota dont care about Volt...so much for that impact lmao
Reply
JDMlover 4:02PM (10/22/2008)
@ Gabagool
Honda Make better cars then toyota??? you fell on your head dude...
Ridgeline Vs Tacoma....Tacoma
Camry Vs Accord...Camry
CR-V Vs RAV-4....Rav-4
Pilot Vs 4 Runner...4 Runner
Element Vs RAV-4...Rav 4
Acura Vs Lexus...NO CONTEST PERIOD.
Dont even get me started on Hondas design..please dont.
Honda do have some winners/nice cars:
Honda Civic Si
Accord Coupe ( much better then the ugly 4 door, last gen accord look MUCH better. I have a friend who has a 07 accord that even says the new one is ugly )
Honda S2000
Then theres the cars Honda cant even test that Toyota has:
Toyota FJ
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Toyota Tundra
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Sequoia
I don't think Honda is better then Toyota period.
inteller 4:17PM (10/22/2008)
"Then theres the cars Honda cant even test that Toyota has:
Toyota FJ
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Toyota Tundra
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Sequoia
"
yes, because they are all loser permutations of one another. There is a reason Toyota is offering 0% financing and Honda isn't.
P.V. 5:58PM (10/22/2008)
It's good to hear some competition, although my support is behind the Insight (it will probably be more of a driver's car (relatively) compared to the Prius, yet still attain comparable fuel economy).
Honda Make better cars then toyota??? you fell on your head dude...
@JDMlover and your comparisons:
"Ridgeline Vs Tacoma....Tacoma"
point conceded. I don't think Honda should have made a pick-up truck in the first place.
"Camry Vs Accord...Camry"
I differ. The Accord is much more spacious, gets just as good fuel economy, and in my opinion is more fun to drive and is a better-built car.
"CR-V Vs RAV-4....Rav-4"
point conceded. The RAV4 has a V6, the CR-V doesn't, and the CR-V's 4-pot is rather sluggish and a bit of a fuel guzzler (comparatively).
"Pilot Vs 4 Runner...4 Runner"
Maybe you meant Highlander?
"Element Vs RAV-4...Rav 4"
No contest. The Element, a niche vehicle, was never supposed to be a RAV4 competitor. That's the CR-V's job. I would say the Element is more of a competitor to the niche BOF FJ (even though the Element is unibody).
"Acura Vs Lexus...NO CONTEST PERIOD."
I would disagree on cars such as TL vs. ES and MDX vs. RX, but otherwise, I agree for now. However, the next RL is supposed to be a true flagship RWD with a V8 underhood, the NSX is under heavy development as evidenced by recent announcements about it as well as recent 'Ring appearances (unlike the vaporware LF-A). Regarding styling, the "Power Plenum" nose job shouldn't last for more than a generation (~7 years); carmakers try new design languages for each generation to keep their cars fresh.
"Dont even get me started on Hondas design..please dont."
Is Toyota's design (excluding Lexus: it has some classy-looking, if bland, cars) really any better?
At any rate, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
"Honda do have some winners/nice cars:
Honda Civic Si
Accord Coupe ( much better then the ugly 4 door, last gen accord look MUCH better. I have a friend who has a 07 accord that even says the new one is ugly )
Honda S2000"
Thank you.
"Then theres the cars Honda cant even test that Toyota has:
Toyota FJ
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Toyota Tundra
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Sequoia"
These are the reasons (excluding the Highlander Hybrid) for Toyota's current sales slump. Honda's decision not to build any BOF vehicles was a smart move in the long run, and it hasn't suffered as badly as Toyota (considering every company lost sales in September, the question is who is the smallest loser, not who is the biggest winner, as there is none).
"I don't think Honda is better then Toyota period."
Frankly, Honda's cars are better built than Toyota and are more geared towards the driver rather than functioning solely as appliances of transportation. Honda did a good think in not entering the SUV (not CUV) market, as they haven't lost sales. Toyota has tried to fill every existing niche and then some, while Honda has stuck to its core market (Fit, Civic, Accord, CR-V, Odyssey); this has paid off and will continue to pay off for Honda in the long term. Thus, I don't think your statement is a very accurate one.
JDMlover 6:45PM (10/22/2008)
@ P.V.
Camry Vs Accord
The V6 Sport Se Camry pulls a 0-60 in 5.7 fastest record and they also noted it has better handling and styling. You must be talking about the XLE.
Element Vs Highlander
Higherlander is the winner here plus the fact it is more luxurious, bigger, more powerful and also adds a Hybrid option. it can apple to more people not to mention 3rd row seating
Honda has had many problems with there cars and their car are not as reliable..nor is Acura reliable as Lexus either.
SimbaDogg 10:26PM (10/23/2008)
wow...a toyota fanboy, thats a first
Torrent 2:34PM (10/22/2008)
I;d still spend the extra 10 (or even 20) grand for the Volt. Looks great, and I can see GM tried really hard with that car.
Reply
Majarvis 2:45PM (10/22/2008)
Yes, but it's still a GM. As hard as they try, it still won't be as good as something equivalent made by Honda or Toyota. Yes, it will inevitably get better fuel economy, but it will still have GM "quality."
Seminole 2:57PM (10/22/2008)
Majarvis,
Shut up. Go read the Motor Trend issue where they compare the 4-cyl Accord, Camry, and Malibu. All the reviewers unanimously agreed the Malibu was much better put together than the Camry. I believe the quote was "The ill fitting interior pieces and shiny trim had us all double checking the badges on the Camry." Edmunds.com also did a consumer test, and every consumer picked the Malibu over the Camry.
I'm not a domestic fanboy at all, I drive a BMW 3, but your post reeks of ignorance.
JDMlover 3:01PM (10/22/2008)
The Camry is STILL a better car then the Malibu. Period
Joshua 3:02PM (10/22/2008)
I actually think the Volt will fail. Not because of itself, but because I don't see plug-in electric vehicles ever really taking off.
Between the Prius and the Insight, I do like the Insight more (for obvious reasons), but ultimately the Prius would likely still do better even at a higher price. I think the Prius has a better image and is already far more established.
Gabagool 3:03PM (10/22/2008)
Well that's you Torent, you can afford extra 20K, most people can not chose between cars that have such large difference.
I'd get an Insight. WHY? Because it is a Honda, they make far better cars than Toyota.
Arumage 3:06PM (10/22/2008)
Toyota quality doesn't account for anything lately. They are not the same company they used to be, and Honda can't hardly make anything good looking.
Rev 3:08PM (10/22/2008)
Considering the unproven Volt doesn't look much different than the tried-and-true Prius, spending $40k on an economy car isn't a very smart nor economical decision.
Buy a Pontiac G8 or other sub-$30k sporty car, save $10k for gas and you don't have to drive the Volt or the Prius: win-win!
Torrent 3:25PM (10/22/2008)
Rev. I'm not getting the Volt for it's looks. I'll be getting it for the effort put into the car, the technology invested, and I'll be helping the American economy by buying domestic.
You do know that the G8 gets 24 MPG? Compared to the Volt's estimated equivalent of 100 MPG, the Volt would pay itself off in a few years.... G8 is a badass car though, but we're talking 2 completely different classes of vehicles here. I'm already getting a Camaro soon. No need for a G8. (Camaro weekend warrior; Volt=Daily Driver) win-win!
Majarvis: You really have no proof that they are worse than the japanese competition. Maybe that was true 5 years ago. But since you bought your fugly used 2002 prius, times have changed and Domestics are just as good or even better than the competition.
JDMlover: hmmmm that name tells me something... :brainwashedhondacivicfanboylovescheaprice:
Gabagool: True. It's nice to see your sensible side for a change....
The Luigiian 3:35PM (10/22/2008)
Seminole:
I recently wrote on the last Dodge Ram saying my uncle had argued that its reliability probably wouldn't be the best (he was comparing it to Fords, I might add; not mentioned before because I didn't think it was important). I then got legions of people telling me their fantastic experiences with Dodge Rams and Dodges and Jeeps and Chryslers in general.
I come to Toyota posts where other people are saying Toyotas are the best. Then they get screamed out by GM and Dodge guys saying that's not true, that GM quality equals Toyota quality.
Now, I don't know whether you're a GM fanboy. I'll take your word that you aren't. I have no experiences with Japanese vehicles. Like, at all. Except for a rental Toyota that I thought looked like crap inside and out.
What I will say is this: Quality means different things to different people. The Motor Trend article you cite discusses build quality. What people like Majarvis cite is almost always reliability. The vast majority of people don't give the slightest thought to whether there are panel gaps, they care about whether the vehicle will last.
GM, Dodge and Ford vehicles may feel well done, but the true test for almost every car consumer is reliability. Like it or not, so far they haven't fared well in this category. My family's experiences with these vehicles have all been good, but then again, not one person in my family drives cars. We drive trucks and SUVs, which are the one thing the domestics do better than anybody else without a doubt.
When I see the kinds of cars people first buy from the Japanese, I see Corollas, Civics, Prii. Little cars. Like, the ones our American carmakers are still largely unproven in making. The cars they first bought were often Vegas, Pintos, Mustang IIs, Chevettes, and the like. They switched to Japanese because those cars were POSes, teach their children the same, and so the cycle continues.
The Volt is a compact car. This is an area where GM is vulnerable. It's also a plug-in hybrid, an area where GM has little experience. It was conceived and promised on a fixed time schedule by GM's top brass while engineers acknowledge problems in engineering the vehicle.
Majarvis' post may reek of ignorance, but he might be right in being tentative about the Volt. Time will tell what's going to happen when that debut comes to fruition. And till then I would be careful about telling people to shut up just because they sound like Toyota fanboys.
Bluestreak 4:03PM (10/22/2008)
Hmm. I'm not sure I'd spend even $5k more for the Volt. I like the looks (yes, even better than that of the concept), and the tech is interesting, but I just don't trust GM products like I do Honda's. I've owned neither, but GM's record of quality and reliability is lousy, while Honda's is stellar. I've driven and ridden in many GM products recently, and none have left me impressed-- many have left me shaking my head in embarrassment.
I personally think Toyota is losing its edge, with quality and styling suffering of late. My vote goes to the Insight. Price is right, styling is decent if not pretty, and brand track record is excellent.
Torrent 4:15PM (10/22/2008)
WTF? How can you judge a car company for it's reliability if you haven't even owned one?
WHY DID YOU COMMENT?
The Luigiian 4:31PM (10/22/2008)
I judge the average reliability of a car company by how the majority of its buyers fare through it. A good deal of domestic buyers have left the domestic automakers for the Japanese precisely due to reliability concerns. Come on Torrent, most people haven't bought more than one or two vehicles from a car company but judge it that way. Most people who say Dodges and GM products are good say so via four or five cars they've had good experiences with out of millions of production vehicles.
I am judging the Big Three by the millions of consumers who have stopped buying from them. Yeah, I haven't driven a Japanese car. Guess what, Torrent? Many others I've talked to have and they love 'em, echoing the sentiments of millions of others. I'm judging those cars by what their fans and detractors have said. So far, the fans outweigh the detractors, and a lot of the detractors sound like they haven't been in a Japanese vehicle any more than I have. So there.
We don't know what the reliability of today's GM vehicles is going to be. We don't know what the reliability of the Volt is going to be. But we do know GM's track record. Steady loss of sales since the seventies. Almost all their attempts at building a good compact car have been mediocre. Most of their sales are via pickups and SUVs.
What am I supposed to say, Torrent? Am I supposed to shut up like Seminole told Majarvis to? Majarvis apparently has driven Japanese vehicles, but he's just as ignorant as me because we don't think the Volt's going to be a success. Is that it? Do you have information saying the Volt is going to be a success?
All I have to say is, I'll make final judgment when it gets here. Till then, I'll look to the legions of disgruntled domestic buyers and wonder whether this time will be different or not. Sorry.
Torrent 4:57PM (10/22/2008)
@The Luigiian:
"Do you have information saying the Volt is going to be a success?
Do you have information saying the Volt is going to be a failure?
You're going to judge a company's future based on their past? wow...
The 30,000 plus people that have signed up for a Volt regardless of price tells me that this car is what America needs right now.
No I'm not a GM fanboy or anything. I just have come to realize that hating American cars is dumb, because even if sometimes they don't make the best cars, they make cars good enough to get the job done... I don't want to hear about how these cars are poor quality/reliability. Have you seen the new Malibu, Aura, Silverado Sierra, G8, Astra, Vue, CTS, Flex, '09 Ram? Fiesta, Focus, MKS? They have been rated at or above the foreign competition. There's a reason the Malibu, CTS, Silverado and Aura got COTY or TOY Awards. I know there are only a few domestics in that list, but it just goes to show you that little by little Domestics are creeping up on the foreign competition, and I guarantee you, they will take everybody by surprise. I know I'm surprised.