For the price of a Prius... - Toyota Yaris Forums

Kal-El · 06-05-2012, 05:54 PM

People don't buy Prius's based solely on economics. If people only considered the economic part of their purchase, most cars that sell, wouldn't sell. Everyone would be driving one of about 10 vehicles - Yaris, Corolla, Elantra, Accent, Rio, Versa, Sonic, ect. (the most cost effective rides). Many people prefer to spend extra for desirable attributes of certain vehicles. Be it size, performance, luxury, styling, prestige, ect. Many spend a premium just to get a badge (most notably Mercedes/BMW - when you can often get, IMO, a better car in Lexus for less money).

So why does the Prius sell 5-6 TIMES as much as the Yaris (in the US) each month? Obviously, the Prius doesn't save you money over a Yaris (different class, mind you). Technically, the Prius is classed between the Corolla and Camry, so it's difficult to directly compare to anything. The Prius is apples and oranges to every other car on the market - only the Honda Insight is designed to mimic the Prius, but fails on so many levels, hence its sales failure. The Prius sells for it's gas mileage, yes, but for other desirable characteristics as well. It mixes this superior gas mileage with excellent practicality - a very roomy hatch. It's actually quite stylish to those that enjoy a bullet shaped futuristic looking car. Many even like the futuristic interior. The Prius is also the most reliable car on the market. The battery has been known to last beyond 300,000 miles too. And yes, many just like the hybrid "green" image. All for a very reasonable price.

And check out its potential...

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06-05-2012, 05:54 PM	#28
Kal-El Drives: 07 Yaris S Sedan 5-Speed Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 2,179	People don't buy Prius's based solely on economics. If people only considered the economic part of their purchase, most cars that sell, wouldn't sell. Everyone would be driving one of about 10 vehicles - Yaris, Corolla, Elantra, Accent, Rio, Versa, Sonic, ect. (the most cost effective rides). Many people prefer to spend extra for desirable attributes of certain vehicles. Be it size, performance, luxury, styling, prestige, ect. Many spend a premium just to get a badge (most notably Mercedes/BMW - when you can often get, IMO, a better car in Lexus for less money). So why does the Prius sell 5-6 TIMES as much as the Yaris (in the US) each month? Obviously, the Prius doesn't save you money over a Yaris (different class, mind you). Technically, the Prius is classed between the Corolla and Camry, so it's difficult to directly compare to anything. The Prius is apples and oranges to every other car on the market - only the Honda Insight is designed to mimic the Prius, but fails on so many levels, hence its sales failure. The Prius sells for it's gas mileage, yes, but for other desirable characteristics as well. It mixes this superior gas mileage with excellent practicality - a very roomy hatch. It's actually quite stylish to those that enjoy a bullet shaped futuristic looking car. Many even like the futuristic interior. The Prius is also the most reliable car on the market. The battery has been known to last beyond 300,000 miles too. And yes, many just like the hybrid "green" image. All for a very reasonable price. And check out its potential...