And so it continues: the debate about the Toyota Prius as a fuel saver/economy car/green badge of honor/etc. over on Captain Mike's review. Sammy Hagar's off-hand comment about the Prius cannibalizing Camry sales intrigued me. For some strange reason-- not anti-Detroit bias I can assure you (if you can be assured)-- I'd never thought of the Prius as a cannibal. But it makes perfect (imperfect?) sense. If you're in the market for "inexpensive, efficient, reliable transportation that makes you feel good about not driving anything else," why wouldn't you choose the Prius over the Camry? Or, for that matter, the Camry over the Prius? We've heard rumors that ToMoCo's going to launch the Prius as a fourth brand. On one hand, yes. On the other hand, uh-oh. Toyota's entirely useless Scion brand (remind me again what PRODUCT-related focus they bring to the table) is one GM-style branding mistake. Launching a Prius brand would be another. In fact, it looks to me like Toyota could, some day, maybe, not beyond the scope of possibility, become the new GM (especially when the old GM goes C11). Hey, empires rise, empires fall. C'est la guerre. User comment: By: mennoI love to drive my Prius, Sunnyvale! I'm a genuine car-guy and have been my whole life. Toyota "does" make a Prius that "looks more normal..." it's called the Camry Hybrid. Of course, "looking normal" costs 10 miles per gallon. And about $3000 extra. For not much more space. But you pays your money and you takes your choice!
User comment: By: SunnyvaleCAThe Prius, like most Toyotas, strikes me as a car for people who hate to drive and want as little to do with driving as possible. Given that, I wonder if Toyota should make another model Prius that looks more normal and has an absolute minimum of electronics exposed to the user... conventional and minimal analog gauges, basic physical buttons for stereo and HVAC, etc.
User comment: By: 210delrayYes, Scion can be killed by just pulling the plug, as there are no standalone Scion dealers. I bought a Camry (two of them actually) in 2004-05 over a Prius because the former's proven reliability and good IIHS crash scores. If I had do it over again now, I'd choose one of each (with a manual tranny in the Camry). The Prius of course has gone on to become one of the most reliable cars on the road, by any measure, despite the car's extra complexity. The feared battery failures haven't happened either. And who wouldn't like 40-50 mpg or better with today's gas prices?
User comment: By: KixStartA million-seller halo car is ideal. Remember, the whole idea of the car business is to make money by building cars people want. --- It's a bit early for a Toyota Deathwatch. Still, the Boy Scout motto always applies. "Be Prepared." Toyota could screw up, big time. However, Rick Wagoner, if you're reading this, including "Toyota Screws Up" as a part of your turnaround plan probably isn't prudent.
User comment: By: LandcrusherIsn't a lot of the downside of another brand mitigated when you don't actually create another channel (dealership network)? If Toyota decides scion is a loser, can't they just pull the plug?
Visit here to subscribe to these commentsUser comment: By: RGS920I guess i am the 14 listener at this point? The PT Cruiser had a 2.4L turbo in it if that was the Cruiser you and Justin were talking about.
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