Prius Becomes It's Own Make - Toyota Will Now Have Four Different Makes

[Seattle09GT]

You're mired in global investigations in 32 different countries for products that kill people. You're facing over 300 class action law suits in the United States alone. Your products can be connected to the death of 89 people. Top Consumer Magazine has stripped their automatic recommendation on your products, and refuses to recommend any compromised products until all problems are solved. You're the first auto maker to get a "Do Not Buy" rating from Consumer Reports in nine years. Your recent product launches of your flagship bread and butter sedan, your fullsize truck, your new halo vehicle, and your latest luxury brand offers have been product quality and PR disasters. One of your brands is a dead brand walking. You don't have a single exciting product, and in all of this, and after losing almost $10 billion in the last fiscal year, waste billions in resources to introduce a $375K to $500K supercar that you can't even buy (lease only) while Audi is eating the supercar markets lunch with the R8, that is 1/3 to 1/2 the price depending on how its equipped.

What is a car marker to do?

Why - create a fourth brand!!! Because people like the Prius - so we'll make Prius a nameplate.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/05/prius-alpha-the-7-seat-prius-mpv.html

Behold the Prius Alpha - the seven passenger 135 HP (yes, 135 HP to move seven fat Americans around) mini minivan. But, but, but, it's a PRIUS!!!

[SRG963]

Rofl

[Seattle09GT]

Rofl

The sad thing is if you read this say 20 years ago you'd think it was General Motors or Chrysler.

[Belo]

eh, i don't think it's such a bad idea. that car has the eco-humpers blowing loads left and right eventhough now there are more efficient, better equipped and priced hybrids out there. It's not a bad idea to use the name recognition to add a few more hybrids and maybe some hybrids with decent features to the market.

[MGM GT]

Is anyone else not impressed by today's hybrids... I know they take quite a bit of chemical processing to manufacturer due to the lithium batteries, then theres the refuse to deal with when they reach EOL. My old VW gets better mileage then a Prius, can actually get out of its own way, and didn't cost $25k... I've yet to see what Toyota has done thats so fascinating over the last 20 years to make anything better. In fact you can buy a brand new diesel from VW that gets better mileage, has a much better interior, and accelerates/handles better for cheaper then a Prius. So I'm still not impressed by lame hybrids... sorry carry on.

[jrc1122]

What makes it even more funny- Do you know the extra paperwork, and new offices and logistical costs both financially and ENVIROMENTAL this will have?

LOL

[jrc1122]

Hybrids make me laugh----

When they cost the same as a gasoline/disel engine- I will look at them, until then, nope!

[Tweaky]

Compared to regular hybrids, on board generator electrics make more sense to me (like the Volt or locomotives). As do hydrogen. Being able to quickly refuel for long trips is important when you live 45 miles from nowhere, so pure electrics are sketchy for an only car. But hyrids seem like a combination of the worst of electrics (batteries and associated issues) and gas (emissions, etc), with only a marginal benefit in MPG. Volt style electrics are much more efficient, but are still a compromise. Hydrogen will take a huge infrastructure overhaul, but seem like the future to me. Especially living somewhere that someone with a smallish chunk of land can have a windmill to generate the electricity to turn water into hydrogen and have a supplier-free fuel store.