Irv Miller told reporters at a conference in LA "The target is 2012 to be coming to market with them." He was speaking about plug-in Prius.
And so, now we know when we should expect a plug-in Prius in the US. That means the Chevy Volt will have been on the market for two years. More than likely, by 2012, we may even be expecting the second generation (production version) Volt.
That makes it very interesting for GM. A lead time of two years on your competitor is something that they are going to have to take advantage of.
Toyota is being cautious with anything like an EV. "We had a lot of people raising their hands for the RAV4 EV," Miller said. "As soon as we made them ready for sale, that line evaporated very quickly."
Which could be very bad for Nissan. Nissan is now trying to get 20,000 people signed up for their EV, the LEAF.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Toyota Targets 2012 for Plug-in Prius
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2 comments:
I know it doesnt exist yet...but by looking at the broad picture of whats to be expected of this car would u recommend buying the 2012 plug in prius? It seems like it would be a worthwile investment, when considering how great it is for, not only the environment, but not needing fuel.
From a green and/or less gas dependent viewpoint, I'd definitely recommend buying it. The emissions are definitely lower any time you use less gas, but you have to worry some about the emissions just being transferred to the point of electricity production. But that's something that can be worked on.
As for fit or comfort, I'm guessing the Prius plug-in will be very similar to the Prius today, which means that should be fine.
The last question is price, and it's going to be a doozy. The Volt is supposed to cost $40,000. The PHEV Prius, while I expect it to cost less, will still come at a steep price.
A lot of the extra cost will be due to the battery pack. Since I believe the PHEV Prius will have a smaller batter than the Volt, I expect the cost to be less. But I would still expect it to be in the mid-30s??? That's a complete WAG, but not an uneducated one.
So, is twice the price worth it to you? You won't be making up the price difference in gasoline costs.
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