Toyota has sold 1,028,000 Prius hybrids worldwide since its 1997 launch. Though the model only ventured beyond Japan as recently as 2000, over 100,000 units have been sold in Europe since then, with 23,893 of them here in the UK.The Prius continues to perform strongly, despite being an old model in a struggling new-car market. UK sales are up 7.1 per cent in April this year compared with the same period in 2007. It’s claimed that since the car’s launch, Prius vehicles have contributed to a cumulative reduction in CO2 emissions of approximately 4.5 million tonnes when compared with conventional vehicles of the same class.
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Re: Toyota Prius sells one million
So that's one million giant batteries to dispose of at some point in the near future. Struggling to see the environmental benefit in that. Can't help but think that hybrids like the Prius are a dead end.
Re: Toyota Prius sells one million
VW build quality is a bit of a myth - they use premium-feel materials, but the build quality is little more than average. Compare it with the likes of Toyota, Honda and Subaru - whilst the materials may not feel as plush, the parts all stay where they should for longer and problems are less frequent. Toyota Avensis minicabs always amaze me - they really don't show their six-figure mileages at all and you have to check the odometer to realise just how far they've been driven. Compare them to the saggy seats in old Passats. I'm not saying a Toyota is more desirable or luxurious than a VW; just that the Toyota is almost always better built than its German counterpart.
Sorry to digress from the initial subject, but the unfounded assertion that VW build quality exceeds that of Toyota forced me to write.
As for the Prius, IMHO it's a great car, albeit with dubious eco-credentials on its own once you factor in the cost of production and disposal. But without the early diesels, there wouldn't be the efficient, cleaner ones of today. Future generation hybrids will get even better. And while the MPG figures of diesels often better the hybrids, I'd sooner be stuck in a traffic jam full of hybrids than oil-burners.
If hybrids do have a long term future (rather than just being a stopgap to e.g. fuel cells) then Toyota (and to a lesser degree Honda) are going to be so far ahead of the competition that it's going to take several years for even the best of the rest to catch up. Perhaps the Prius is just one big beta test; if so, it's a beta test that the public have bought into to the tune of a million units.
Re: Toyota Prius sells one million
Yes with company cars the way they do it at present is they take 33% of the retail price when new and add it it your salary, then apply the appropriate tax rate for what you earn. So for example if a BMW 320d costs €45,000, then they add €15,000 to your salary per year which means if you earn over €32,000 a year, all of the €15,000 is taxed at the higher 42% rate. It then basically costs you €6,300 out of your own pocket to have the car. As well as that my employers wouldn't be so generous to buy me a 320d more like a Mondeo or something so a total 'no go' for me. I take the mileage rate instead which gives me approx €9,000 per year to run a car. Was looking at the Subaru diesel there. Apparently they are going to put it in an Impreza next year, kit it out like a WRX and it will give 0-60 in near 6 seconds and over 40mpg. Now that might be worth looking at if I could just get more accustomed to its looks!