2010 Toyota Prius Priced $1,000 Less Than Outgoing Model

When I reviewed the new 2010 Toyota Prius back in February, I marveled at all the terrific features it packed and guessed it would have to cost more than the outgoing model, but that it would be worth the extra cost. Today, Toyota has announced pricing of the new hybrid, which goes on sale next month, and it’s going to be at least $1,000 less than the current version.

The Prius will start at $21,000, before a $750 destination charge. This price is for a base model that the company hasn’t yet introduced, called the Prius I. The Prius II through Prius V, which we’ve already detailed in depth and which go on sale in late May, will also start at cheaper prices than the 2009.

The Prius II will start at $22,000 before destination, compared to the 2009’s $23,375 starting price. The top-of-the-line Prius V, however, gets costly, starting at $27,270. There are also new options, like a Solar Roof Package, that have also been priced. You can find all the pricing details below.

Comments

This is a monkey wrench in Honda's plans for sure. Neither car is good looking or even reasonably quick but the Prius is the better looking car with superior mileage. Plus, at least Toyota is offering you the option of uplevel models. I dont get why Honda assumed hybrid owners don't want any high tech features except nav.

OS,
I think Honda was aiming at something else. I also think Toyota has to be taking a profit hit here like it did with the last generation. The pricing is really a tad absurd when you consider the tech this thing is packing even in Prius II trim.

I have to agree with Dave. I can't imagine how they can sell this car this cheap with this level of equipment and turn a profit.

Broq

I agree as well, but its apparent that Toyota is determined not to sacrifice sales to Honda. I'm not sure that is smart when they are losing money. This car has Lexus like features for a top price of only $33k. If it is profitable than LExus models must be REALLY profitable.

Still, Honda can't be happy about this at all. Part of the appeal of the Insight was supposed to be its Prius beating price and the fact that they were bringing hybrid tech to the masses. The Prius isn't much more expensive and seems to be the better car.

It's amazing how Honda and Toyota bring quality, innovation, and now pricing. It's capitalism at it's best. Does anyone know if Subaru is going to bring a hybrid to market?

Looks like Toyota is sacrificing profit in hopes of stimulating demand. Funny how the market works when competition is introduced, gas prices are low, and new vehicle sales are weak.

"It's amazing how Honda and Toyota bring quality, innovation, and now pricing. "

I think all the automakers are competing on pricing and innovation these days.

Suburu has done little with hybrids so far and I've heard of no pending hybrid models. Now Mazda has finally said it will launch hybrids in 5-6 years. Just a few months back it was reported that they were going to focus on diesels. I believe Hyundai is going to have one by 2010 or 2011.

subaru has been testing very small electric cars in Japan, like Toyota/Scion's iQ car. No hybrid stuff though no.

H:

I wasnt thinking about gas prices but you are correct. They definitely have an impact on this pricing. If gas was $4/gal and the current Prius was still selling like hotcakes this 2010 model would probably be more. Considering the new model gets 3mpg better mileage Toyota has to hope current Prius owners are going to want to trade in for the 2010. There isn't much here that is going to convince someone who wasn't already a Prius fan to convert. The car looks almost the same and peforms no better than the 2nd gen model.

Sorry but I don't see Chrysler and General Motors competing on innovative. They do compete and often win on pricing but that's only because they have too.

Dave,
See what I said last time about why it was a Prius II?

Bigger, faster, better MPG, more features, more technology - and $1k less than last year. Pretty amazing.

By the way, the 2010 Prius just hit an average score of 89 in published reviews:

http://motormouths.com/car/toyota/prius

That's 3 points higher than the Insight.

"Neither car is good looking or even reasonably quick" - Please! Looks are subjective and we're talking hybrids here. If you want looks and performance then that's what Infiniti and BMW are for.

Motormouths,
I'm with you but os thinks, "the car looks almost the same and performs no better than the 2nd gen model". I think she is wrong as I can't see how anyone draws that conclusion.

"Sorry but I don't see Chrysler and General Motors competing on innovative. They do compete and often win on pricing but that's only because they have too."

There is more to innovation than hybrid tech. That said, GM has quite a few hybrids on the market. Direct injection and 6 speed automatics are also signs of innovation. If you don't see that you probably aren't looking. Toyota is ahead on hybrids but is behind on virtually every other type of technology that saves fuel such as forced induction, direct injection, dual clutch gearboxes, diesels and cylinder deactivation.

Chrysler is another story, most agree they are behind when it comes to efficiency innovations.

"I'm with you but os thinks, "the car looks almost the same and performs no better than the 2nd gen model". I think she is wrong as I can't see how anyone draws that conclusion. "

The car has been tested by numerous outlets. Performance is almost identical to the 2nd gen car and 0-60 is still about 10secs. Where have you read that performance has increased significantly?

OS,
I think when they say "perform" they mean it rides better, handles better etc. Which it does. It is worlds better than the last generation.

Given the higher trim prices on the Prius, it looks like the Ford Fusion Hybrid is not overpriced at all given that it's a significantly larger and more comfortable car.

Dave:

I dont count ride quality as a performance charaterstic. Fine, it rides better. Outlets that do quantitative testing have found performance to be very similar to the last car. That's all I'm saying. Its an evolution that will please Prius owners but I don't see anything that would bring in people who weren't interested in the 2009 model. The last car wasn't all that refined so I have no doubt Toyota improved the feel of the 2010 car- it would've been hard not to.

Without arguments...

put it this way... If gas price will go to $3 tomorrow, the Prius will be the car of genius!

The only thing Toyota is behind GM on is receiving Government welfare. Today GM received another $5.5 BILLION of our tax payer dollars so they can continue to turn-out the least innovative and lowest quality cars known today. If I had a vote I say give the funds to the real American car company - Toyota.

Or give the funding to Subaru or Honda. Chrysler and GM are a total waste of time and money unless the government wants a full-time rental car manufacturer.

Well said Brian. Perhaps the Auto Task Force can hire you. You seem very well informed. Its good to know Toyota moved its HQ to the US.

Tony:

I don't think $3 gas will shock people anymore. Its got to be $4 and above to get people motivated to make major changes. Once we have seen $4 no one is afraid of $3. Unitl gas gets MUCH higher hybrid models such as Prius and Insight will continue to appeal to a limited demographic. I bet 90% of 2010 Prius buyers will be existing hybrid owners.

OS,
I was simply trying to explain to you what I think other people meant by performance considering I doubt one Prius shopper will care about 0-60 times.

Regardless, no like I said I did not like the old Prius and found this one worlds better in every regard. It is a great car minus some real road noise issues. I really wonder if you could put some all-seasons that aren't low resistance and get better cabin noise. I'd bet it wouldn't hurt mileage "that" much. Maybe 5%?

If the car drives much better than the old one I doubt people would care about the tire noise. On the last model the steering barely felt like it was connected to the front axle. I'm glad you acknowledge it was a thoroughly mediocre car that happened to be very efficient. When I drove one through a car sharing program I was surprised at the engine noise, the lack of transparency in when going from electric to gas mode and the video game like steering. At least this one seems like a car with few compromises except for typically dull hybrid styling and a space age dash. Is there some law that says a hybrid can't have a normal dash?

Kudos to Toyota if they can keep the prices this low, even if demand increases as gas prices are sure to rebound within a year or two. The value and level of tech and features for Prius II through Prius V is just amazing. Beats most non-hybrids in terms of value as well. Plus 50 MPG? These things are gonna sell like hotcakes.

Note: I am not affiliated with, nor do I endorse Toyota Motors, LLC. Seriously, I usually hate Toyota.

"Water repellent windows"? Do they just slather on some RainX?

Original Sheth,
What does Toyota not having a HQ in the US have to do with anything? GM has their HQ in the US and they are an abysmal failure. They build engines in China and cars in Mexico and Canada. You obviously have a bias against Japanese automakers which can only mean one thing. You are a racist.

GB1

New generation vehicle
Midsize class
Incredible gas mileage
Low starting price
Proven technology
Cash for clunker
Hybrid tax credit
Deducible sales tax when purchasing a new vehicle
Who know what else might be coming down the pipeline to spur new car sales, especially fuel efficient ones.

Hmm, tempting… very, very tempting.

I'm very tempted to purchase the 2010 Prius. Problem is my current model works perfectly after three years and gets 57 mpg on the highway. Dave can the new Prius really be that loud? Edmunds.com reported in its review that the new generation Prius was incredibly quiet on the road, and much improved over the current version. Thanks for providing the detailed option data.

"You obviously have a bias against Japanese automakers which can only mean one thing. You are a racist."

That has to be one of the stupidest insults ever hurled in my direction. My comment about Toyota was in response to someone saying they should get US taxpayer money since they are an American company. You can mention GM vehciles assembled in Canada until you are blue in the face and at the end of the day GM still employs far more Americans than Toyota. Don't shoot the messenger. Having a couple of US assembly plants doesn't make you an American company.

I agree that having a couple of US assembly plants doesn't make you an American company. Look at GM, they lay-off tens of thousands of people, built their cars in Canada and Mexico, built engines in China, pay their executives tens of millions of dollars while asking the blue collars workers to foot the bill, and have not 1 class leading car. But they do have an "American" HQ.

According to Cars.com the Honda Oddssey has more American content than the Chevy Silverado. The only conclusion is that GM is as un-American as a company can be.

If it smells like a racist, posts like a racist, it's a racist.

Not one Class leading vehicle? How many car/truck of the year awards have they won in the last 3-4 years again?

They've got a lot of good stuff that's come out recently. And there's been plenty of reviews to support that.

Its weird how people have selective memory on this site.

GB:

You sound like a fool. You really should just stop. No class leading vehicles? I guess you haven't heard of Enclave, CTS, Cobalt SS, Corvette ZR1 or G8. "class leading" is a dubious distinction since it's based on subjective evaluations. MT says the Camry is class leading while C&D claims the Accord is class leading. Edmunds feels the 6 is class leading. Who is correct?

After layoffs GM still employs far more people than Toyota in the US. And please stop bringing up engines from China. That was ONE engine for ONE product. That product is out of production and will be replaced soon by a 2010 model with totally different engines. How can you criticize GM for importing one engine from China when Toyota imports 45% of its US product from Japan? You are a joke.

For the above poster upset that GM is getting the money, Toyota is asking for a bailout from the Japanese government. Anyhow, my view is this Toyota should be cheaper and the trim packages aren't anything special. Prius III and Navigation package were the high trims in the second generation Prius. The Prius IV and V borrow from Lexus. So I am sure because of part sharing that Toyota is making money at ;east on the upper trims. The navigation system is a scam get a Garmin or other GPS system for $200 and under. This generation to me is simply an avolution and will not spurr on the people who already own Prius to get a new one especially since the old ones aren't worn out yet.