Toyota Discounting 2007 Prius
The automakers must really want to keep us on our toes, on the morning of the 2007 New York auto Show, Toyota announced it will be offering up to $2,000 discounts on 2007 Toyota Prius option packages. Instead of lowering or discounting the car’s base price, Toyota went this route, we assume to retain resale value and to upsell more loaded models.
The discounts range from $600 to $2,000 and the packages include options like stability control, backup cameras, upgraded audio systems and the Prius Touring Edition trim level. The program started yesterday,but Toyota didn’t mention how long they would stay in effect; we’d guess these discounts might be permanent through the 2007 model’s remaining lifecycle.
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I guess this is a better tactic than offering a rebate a la Ford/GM or Tundra. Kudos to Toyota for protecting their customers' interests.
Also, consider the Prius, as of April 1 is only eligible for under $800 in tax credits, versus $3150 a year ago. Perhaps those tax incentives really did help drive demand.
If the government decides to get serious about decreasing our dependence on foreign oil and CO2 emissions from cars/trucks, they will extend tax credits to not punish successful hybrid automakers. In fact, they should offer tax credits on vehicles that exceed 35MPG combined coupled with a CO2 fee on those that get under 25MPG combined.
The market can be a wonderful thing if externalities are internalized.
The premium you pay for a hybrid still doesn't equal can't compare to a regular gas powered car in terms of cost. It takes to long to recoup what you save in fule to account for the price premium of the hybrid versus a regualr gas vehicle. Why can't they just build the old school Hondas and Toyotas that approached today's "hybrud" MPG figures? The Civic, Corlla, CRX, Tercel......
Because today's cars weigh a lot more than they did 15-20 years ago. Many will blame safety, but the real real is that so many people have bought behemoth cars that now small cars have to have added weight in order to stand a chance in an accident with a behemoth. Perhaps there should be weight caps on all cars sold, say 4,000 pounds. Plus, heavier vehicles do a lot more damage to roadways than lighter cars.
Again, a weight tax might be a good disincentive to those buying heavy cars. Maybe $2/lb over 3,500 lbs.
LM,
I like your idea. I think we will see lighter cars in the future. Imagine seeing those old school economy cars come back with today's technology.