Toyota Can't Make Enough Priuses to Meet Demand

[vcs2600]

Originally Posted by jorgesalazar521@msn.com

gm is always behind the curb, for my 20 years of keeping track of our domestic vehicle, every five years i see "in hindsight we should have....."

I have to agree with this. People talk about GM's over-reliance on SUVs, but 10 years ago it was "we didn't see it coming! we can't build SUVs fast enough!". Only back then it was Ford/Chrysler kicking their butt and not Toyota.

Poor understanding of consumers + limited finances = being continually 5 years behind the curve.

Also GM made a lot of big talk about Hybrid development back in the late 90s and arguably scared Toyota into making the Prius. According to Rick, the program was killed for "non-financial" reasons. The "GM Precept" even looks kinda like a larger Prius:

The road not taken.

[pgill00]

Originally Posted by paul8488

Who said that people that trade in for more efficient vehicles weren't already going to do it? People change vehicles very often... if you're going to trade in, it makes sense to get a smaller one now.

I think that is a fairly naive point of view. I would love to see the average equity in a Prius. I can easily see people trading a 2006 Trailblazer with $7000 negative equity to get 15 more "sticker" miles per gallon and drive the same terrible habits. That same customer will never calculate gas savings compared to equity and tell his/her friends it was the best thing they ever did.

Its a fad. It is a fad. Itsa fad.

[CadiEldo67]

Originally Posted by VCDJ

Hybrids are joke right.?

They are a joke compared to the Volt. Wait...is the Volt considered a hybrid?

[pgill00]

Originally Posted by vcs2600

Poor understanding of consumers + limited finances = being continually 5 years behind the curve.

(changing consumer habits toward big vehicles * High Profit Vehicles ) / (strong labor unions + lengthly materials contracts ) = the only reason GM can afford push technology

You say GM is behind but what is Toyota doing? Every time GM makes a move it affects the entire country. We make e85 vehicles...15 ethanol plants open and Brazils economy blows up with ethanol production. We say we have a 4.5L diesel truck coming to replace gas...15 biodisel plants begin construction.

Toyota is acting like a sniper pumping in Camry's for everyone and niche hybrids to bridge the gap to new fuel sources. Do you think a 100% gas hybrid engine is sustainable? Its not. When the big three reduce the county's dependence on gas, Toyota is going to be SOL becuase as far as we know, they aren't working to bring that future tech here.

Toyota has the advantage right now with low cost vehicles, but GM is trying to make sure millions of folks in the US have a job for the next 100 years. I guess I will cut them slack that we do not have a Prius-killer this summer.

[windvale]

Originally Posted by CadiEldo67

They are a joke compared to the Volt. Wait...is the Volt considered a hybrid?

I'm thinking the Volt is not a hybrid, because the wheels are only driven by the batteries - period. The Volt is an electric car. There is a small, on-board gas generator to recharge the batteries when their charge is below a certain threshhold.

[geozinger]

This sounds like more obfuscation from the mighty Toyota PR machine.

"It's not us, no it's our supplier..."

If this were coming from GM, the media/blogs would be all over it, using it as an example of how inept they are. Coming from Toyota, it's as if the angels themselves delivered the news.

I was reading a thread on a different site about how the Prius goes for more money in Europe and that they were being shipped there instead of North America. I don't know if that's true, but there's enough disinformation about this car, who knows what is correct?

Unlike many others on this board, I really don't care one way or the other about the Prius. It is great fun to pillory the car and some of it's owners, but I still see it as a stopgap measure, not a true electric car, and a somewhat compromised (but cleverly packaged) IC engine powered automobile. If you consider the Prius as a parallel hybrid and the Volt as a series hybrid, ultimately the series configuration wins, as 50 or so years of building and using locomotives seems to prove.

I have a friend who has a Prius, it's a nice enough car and all, but really doesn't appeal to me. At least it doesn't appall me, either, like the previous-generation Corolla did. I like to think of myself as something of a gadget guy, but the car leaves me cold. All of the techno stuff in it just seems like a distraction, but I should say that a lot of other cars have this problem too. All those nav and HVAC controls on touch screens...

I guess the other half of the equation is that I have a relatively short commute and I drive a pretty fuel-efficient car (in a pretty fuel efficient manner) as it is, I can't see spending lots of money to gain even 10 MPG, it doesn't calculate for me in a short enough time frame to make it worth my while.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by Sinner

The article is a joke. Panasonic can't make enough batteries, but they also aren't making less batteries than before. Therefore the 39% decrease has nothing to do with them not meeting demand. It's purely Toyota trying to blame someone else for their wondercar not selling.

YEP.

........... AND POSSIBLY SOME OTHER KIND OF 'PROBLEM' THAT THEY DON'T WANT KNOWN

Then throw in the worldwide data for all of Toyotas hybrids.....................and don't forget the YTD stuff as well as the last 6 months.

Actually this POS 'article' is worse than just an advertoral to deflect attention from the bigger story they could've covered - Toyotas massive and completely unexpected FAILURE with their Hybrids for MAY 2008.

Its worse than an advertorial ( a dispicable act and practise in its own right ) because it is peppered with knowable inaccuracies - in otherwords outright lies - thats besides all the spin, propaganda, 'opinion' and legtimate 'covering' information.

The first lie is the first sentence.

Reviews June 6, 2008, 1:00PM EST
Toyota Prius: Premium, Popular, Pricey

The world's most fuel-efficient car is in wild demand.

by Thane Peterson

Complete BS.

Depending on how you want to do the count, there are somewhere between 100 to 300 more fuel efficient 'cars' available on a worldwide basis.

There are some non car choices as well - although that also depends on the definitions used.

This POS is also pimping the Corolla - notice at the article you get links for that but not the Camry - just like Toyota would probably want it.

Motortrend's June issue may have a clue for why the Corolla; the initial take rate on the 2009 was so bad that Toyota at the time of the interview formally stated they would be lowering Corolla production.

This may no longer be true due strictly to the very recent fuel price increases and their positive effect on all small car sales.

A workable guess would be that that interview was given somewhere in the month of April or the last 10 days of March 2008 on the outside.

We really need to see the Corolla/Matrix breakout.

Anyway, this article is as described.

[vcs2600]

Originally Posted by pgill00

You say GM is behind but what is Toyota doing? Every time GM makes a move it affects the entire country. We make e85 vehicles...15 ethanol plants open and Brazils economy blows up with ethanol production. We say we have a 4.5L diesel truck coming to replace gas...15 biodisel plants begin construction.

Toyota is acting like a sniper pumping in Camry's for everyone and niche hybrids to bridge the gap to new fuel sources. Do you think a 100% gas hybrid engine is sustainable? Its not. When the big three reduce the county's dependence on gas, Toyota is going to be SOL becuase as far as we know, they aren't working to bring that future tech here.

Toyota has the advantage right now with low cost vehicles, but GM is trying to make sure millions of folks in the US have a job for the next 100 years. I guess I will cut them slack that we do not have a Prius-killer this summer.

If you are correct and GM has taken a feasible long-term view, then good for them. However, as of right now, they've got almost nuthin' because of poor decisions made 5-10 years ago. E85 and Biodiesel only exists because the government pays people to take it in the form of massive subsidies on all levels.

Also I don't really get the GM = Employment Agency mentality. If that's the case, they've been doing an awful job of it.

[steinravnik]

Originally Posted by windvale

I'm thinking the Volt is not a hybrid, because the wheels are only driven by the batteries - period. The Volt is an electric car. There is a small, on-board gas generator to recharge the batteries when their charge is below a certain threshhold.

The Volt is the future. If GM has the Volt out by 2010 as promised, it will render hybrids obsolete.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by steinravnik

The Volt is the future. If GM has the Volt out by 2010 as promised, it will render hybrids obsolete.

E-Flex is the future - in all its possible permutations - especially the ones that can make a normal profit.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by genjy

Hybrids usually have better drivability than 4-cylinder gassers because of the immediate low-end torque from the electric motor. For city-dwellers, hybrids make sense.

BS.

The best driving driving hybrids are by far, GM's Two Modes and BAS systems - and even they involve a small sacrifice in ultimate drivability feel.

You seem to forget the rubber banding and all the rest involved with HSD, as well as the really lousy off the line response the Prius and Camry have - to name just two - with that torque limiting software programming for below approx 19 - 21.5mph depending on this and that.

Both are unpleasant to drive in many city situations because of it.

Now compared to some VTEC equipped 10 year old CIVIC - in need of a 10lbs psi increase in tire pressure - and replacement of an air filter thats 60k old - also oil soaked from the blow by created by the no change no pain oil service program its under - on a really hot day - with the A/C running on high and an AT low on dirty fluid - you sorta' might have a point.

[TruckMan]

Originally Posted by pgill00

I hope that one day someone runs for public office and thinks about lowering the speed limit again. I would be very interested to see a report showing fuel consumption per car on Alabama interstates over the last 10 years that reflects the increase in speed limit from 65 to 70.

That would be horrible. I can't drive - FIFTY FIVE!!!

Originally Posted by pgill00

Do you think a 100% gas hybrid engine is sustainable? Its not. When the big three reduce the county's dependence on gas, Toyota is going to be SOL becuase as far as we know, they aren't working to bring that future tech here.

Toyota has the advantage right now with low cost vehicles, but GM is trying to make sure millions of folks in the US have a job for the next 100 years.

Are both of these statements jokes? The big three are going to reduce the country's oil dependency to the point of hurting Toyota? That's hillarious!

[pgill00]

Originally Posted by TruckMan

That would be horrible. I can't drive - FIFTY FIVE!!!



Are both of these statements jokes? The big three are going to reduce the country's oil dependency to the point of hurting Toyota? That's hillarious!

I think if millions of people are out of a job in 100 years, then GM is gone. So I really have a feeling that it is in their best interest to balance cost saving and job saving. If you think otherwise, then you are just a price shopper. GM is big enough to change the economy, good or bad, and the moves it makes has to be in the interest of the country to acheive self-preservation.

Lets say E85 hits it big in 3 years and that is the preferred fuel source. How many Toyota certified preowned vehicles (generally recognized as a cash cow) are going to sell even if they have Flexfuel in new vehicles? Not many. The big three have the ability to have new and used cars for sale in 3 years in good supply with the technology. I think it will hurt them since they are selling cars at invoice and dealers make no money on new pieces except for regional bonuses and niche vehicles.

Mother Toyota will not care about e85 but the dealers will.

[tgagneguam]

When GM gets its act together, I suspect we might very well read the following headline in 2011: "GM Can't Make Enough Volts to Meet Demand."

[ChevroletRevived]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

When GM gets its act together, I suspect we might very well read the following headline in 2011: "GM Can't Make Enough Volts to Meet Demand."

Probably, I'd imagine (espessially with a low price) that it will be pretty much impossible to satiate demand for the Volt and the E-Flex system. GM's going to ramp up production pretty quickly after the first year though, both on the Volt and on the system itself as it's spread to other cars. Regarding gas prices though, I think a lot of people could find fuel savings just by changing the way they drive. Not extreme or really slow, I just mean more thought and conservation. Most people don't drive efficiently at all.