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In other words, they sold fewer Priuses only because they had fewer Priuses to sell.

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Yep, you can pretty much predict Prius sales for the rest of the year to average ~15000-16000 per month, just like it has been so far this year (80000/5months). Toyota averaged ~15000/month last year (~1838000 total) and said they could only allocate a few more to the US for 2008. Next year, there should be a big increase in production though.

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At this point people can't afford to not own one. When fill-ups are 65-100 bucks every week that basically ads up to one car payment.

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How does one explain the spike in Landcruiser and LX sales?

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If you have a long commute and already have a car payment it could be worth while.
I have a short commute, no car payment, and a vehicle that does not require a $3000 battery pack. Even an engine overhaul costs half that.

Gas prices are high, hybrids are expensive and don't get that much better mpg.

44 mpg vs 20 results in a $136 a month savings in fuel costs per month at $4 / gal and 15k per yr.

Can you get a vehicle that gets 44 mpg for less than $136 a month?

Financing a $23,000 works out to $450 to $700 a month in payments depending on terms.

How is this a good deal?

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I know it might be an odd thought, but these just might be people who car going to buy a car anyway.

So choosing a $22K midsize with 40mpg or a $22k midsize with 20mpg seems like a no brainer.

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I understand that they can't build MORE because they simply don't have the facilities, but I still don't understand why that means they made LESS.

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#6 peter: The Prius is not a midsized car but a compact. Modern compact cars should have no trouble doing 35 MPG so a hybrid like the Prius at 40 MPG is just a marginal more fuel efficient car than it's peers. The Prius may be a feel good vehicle but if you crunch the numbers there is really not much point to it.

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rj and chris,

I think there's more to it than just mpg and fuel costs.

people who are buying these prii are suv and truck owners that get 10 mpg and maybe 13 mpg if they're lucky. So if 136 dollars becomes 272 per month you can practically buy off the extra money you paid for the prius.

People aren't trading in 35mpg for 44mpg. The cost benefit is minimal. If you go to a honda dealer they'll tell you people are trading in SUVs and Trucks not another compact sedan for a hybrid.

Maintenance costs weren't added to the equation. Prii use regen braking, don't use as much gas, and works with an electric motor requiring less gas changes and less wear and tear etc. You have to add those lowering of costs to the bill.

Battery costs will come after 7-10 years by which the batteries will cost even less than $3000. Heck , it dropped $2000 dollars in just the last decade.
Pretty soon the overhaul of a gas engine will be more expensive than the battery replacement.


Why is it that titles in some of these blogs are so negative and obscure the actual truth?

It's not Prius sales are down 40%, it's that demand has become so high they can't keep up the supply of the Prii like in 2004. The average days on the dealer lot for a prius is no more than a few days. In fact some are bought before the plastic packagings are taken off.

Last year's average was an average. They sold more in May because they had an excess in storage that were built over the weeks. So they figured that's what is needed this year, to hit that same average. They weren't planning to see a jump in gas prices to the extent that they couldn't keep up with demand. That's why they're building two new battery plants in the U.S.

It means that Toyota has been doing great because they've been selling more cars prior to May that can't keep up with demand therefore, they have less cars to sell.

Sales are up but when you take only one month and compare that to the year before it misses the big picture of what is actually happening.

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#8 Chris ...BZZZZ wrong.
I've rarely seen so many factual errors in one short post

1) Maybe you're thinking of the old Prius, which was compact, but the 2004-2008+ Prius is a midsize car
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius
with interior volume 110 in3.

And in Europe it is a "large family car".
http://www.euroncap.com/large_family_car.aspx

2) the Prius is rated at 48/45 MPG (not 40), and most people have no trouble reaching or exceeding that.

3) if you search EPA.gov for 2008 compact cars, you'll find only 1 compact car that gets over 35 mpg combined - the Honda Civic HYBRID.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/byEPAclass.htm
and only a few that get 35+ highway mpg.

Check your facts before posting next time. Ever heard of GOOGLE.com?

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And rj, FUD FUD FUD. Most Priuses will never, ever, ever need a battery replacement.

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@10: The Prius is officially dubed a "midsize" car the same way the some Subaru's get labeled as a truck.. because there is some EPA or CAFE bureaucratic category that they fit into that has little reflection on reality. In the Prisus case, it is the interior volume. Its only 5 inches longer that a Yaris. By that std all you have to do is make a car a taller and it goes up a class, or in the case of Subaru, increase the ground clearance and give it a flat load floor. Presto! CAFE says it is a truck.

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Auto companies might be playing that game with the car/truck definition to fit CAFE, but there is no difference for CAFE with a midsize vs. compact car.
I'm pretty sure the Prius looks the way it does (for better or worse) because of aerodynamics, not because Toyota wanted to get it labeled a "midsize" car in the US. Besides, the exact same car is sold in Japan, Europe, etc. Therefore, any conspiracy theories about how Toyota did something just for the EPA are bunk.

Regardless, stating it is a "compact car" is simply FALSE. You could say that it's technically on the small side for a midsize car. But if you said that, then obviously have never tried taking a Prius on a road trip. Try 2 adults, 2 adult mountain bikes, a cooler, tent, sleeping bags, camping gear, etc. Not going be easy in most midsize cars. In a Prius, you can fit that comfortably AND still see out the back through the rear view mirror no problem.

Seems to me that interior volume is what matters most. I don't care exactly how long/wide/tall it is. I (and most people) care how much stuff you can fit into it.

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@ Karkus: thanks... you saved me the trouble.

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Or could it be the value of the dollar? Toyota today makes less per car then they did 6 months ago. So create a shortage until the value goes back up?

Just a thought.

Nintendo is doing the same thing with the Wii. They moved more units to Europe because our dollar isn't worth anything.

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I sell toyota for living. My customers average anywhere from 48 to 54mpg in town; 45-49mpg on the highway. It all depends how smooth you drive. Currently we have 2-3 month waiting list and most of that is also due to change over to the new 09 model coming out. Also, many people who get in to prius are driving more than 15K miles/yr and downsizing from mid to large suvs and tripling their fuel economy. With current gas prices you are in the money right off the bat.

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My brother bought a Honda Element. He gets 20 mpg hwy. I bought a Civic Hybrid, I get 50 mpg hwy. We both drive 40,000 per year. Using $5 a gallon (it'll be there soon, or higher!), in 5 years my brother will have spent $50,000 on gas! I will have spent $20,000 on gas. My Civic Hybrid cost me $24,000 with tax and license. Versus my brother's Element (which some people consider an economy car), my Civic is a "free" car with $10,000 to boot, in my pocket!

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