Toyota Prius could be coming to India EDIT: Now launched.

427Cubes · 29th January 2010, 01:22

Having a soft corner for environment (and my petrol bills

), I do believe Hybrid technology holds promise. The traffic conditions in our major cities involve a lot of stopping, waiting and moving forward at slow speeds. These are exactly the conditions in which Prius excels and I would not be surprised if Prius betters its fuel economy ratings of US in India.

We can’t expect the GOI to exempt Prius of all import duties. Never the less any help from GOI in facilitating car manufacturers to build supplier base for components required for Hybrid technology would be appreciated.

Currently I don’t think that our auto component suppliers have the capability of providing some key components for Hybrid vehicles like batteries. It takes some time to be able to develop capabilities to produce them and unless there is enough demand to justify the investment I don’t believe anyone is going to invest in these areas.

So allowing Toyota to price Prius competitively (couple of lacs more than similar conventional car lets say Corolla) could help in creating demand and linking it with some time bound expectations of localization could be very helpful for entire automotive sector in the long run.

Hmm, here I go again, starting to dream about driving a Hybrid car at affordable prices in India.

meghan · 29th January 2010, 05:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Oh ok, I was talking UK.
Anyways I drove a hybrid in the US (SFO-LA-SFO). We got 31mpg.
Similar mileage I also got from The Chevrolet Cobalt which has a smaller 4 cylinder engine.
I think in similar scenario the Prius would do around 38-40mpg. 50mpg claimed is just hogwash/

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Actally we drove it quite a bit in city traffic too. It gave 35mpg.
Chevy cobalt gave us 32mpg in city conditions, and same in mountain highway conditions(SJC-Lake Tahoe and back).

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhiram7912

i think civic hybrid gives close to 40 MPG or may be more. i drove a normal US Civic Coupe i got nearly 35 MPG on highway and close to 28 in city

I drove the Prius 3-4 times around the Bay area with mixed city and freeway driving (70% city) and got around 44mpg on the car's display (don't know how accurate it is). So 50mpg is not out of reach if driven carefully.

However I was really disappointed with the initial acceleration :(
At signals, I was starting slower than trucks if I didn't floor it!

Also, it starts at $22k here, so in India, I presume it will definitely cost somewhere in the Camry region which doesn't makes sense. I think it'll just be another Civic hybrid story.

VIPER_SRT · 29th January 2010, 05:58

24 KMPL for a car (luxury I suppose) is not a bad deal if priced right in India. Its a better car than corolla and the new one is technologically more advanced.

Coming to your point of Gas guzzlers in US, right now there are many models in US which are fuel efficient compared to Honda's and Toyota's.

As per your "Pity on American's" comment, the best selling cars in US are Toyota and Honda which have most fuel efficient cars in their lineup. Majority of the people in US are middle class and always prefers value for money like many of us in India and thats the reason Toyota Camry is the best/highest selling car in US for many years. If Prius is a success in US then its not only because it gives 50MPG but also because people care about environment.

If you take Corolla for instance,

Its more powerful than Prius
Costs around $17K
Decent mileage of 35MPG on Highway and 27 in city
Happily runs for around 200k miles if maintained properly

Whereas Prius is

Very poor in pickup
Costs around $25K
Mileage is around 45 (real mileage if driven like other cars) of course city and HWY
You need to change the LI-ION battery after 120k Miles which is very expensive

I compared Corolla and Prius since they are similar in size and interiors.

v12 · 30th January 2010, 13:58

The Prius has been launched at around 27L ex-showroom, Mumbai.

Toyota - New Prius

discoverwild · 30th January 2010, 18:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by v12

The Prius has been launched at around 27L ex-showroom, Mumbai.

Way to go, Toyota. One more nail in the coffin for hybrids.

Diesel lover · 30th January 2010, 22:38

Hybrids the way to go !!! And finally Prius is heading to India. With a right price tag ... it will eat the competition raw ...

“The Age of the environment” is said to be the 21st century, the center of attention in the world of hybrid cars is sure. Increasing awareness of rising gasoline prices and the global environment, such as favorable tax incentives to all low-emission vehicle “standard car of the future” is also seen as a beginning to climb the stairs.

Amartya · 31st January 2010, 00:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel lover

Hybrids the way to go !!! And finally Prius is heading to India. With a right price tag ... it will eat the competition raw ...

The best thing to learn at teambhp is to read through a thread and then comment. At the very least, one needs to read atleast the last couple of "pages" of a thread before saying something.

Had you done that, you'd have seen that the Prius is overPriused at Rs.27lakh. That's what I call "****" pricing, as far as the competition is concerned, they can see that the Prius is "overcooked".

Anand123 · 31st January 2010, 00:49

The Prius is going the same way that the Civic hybrid went. Nobody's going to pay 27 lakh for this car and protect the environment.
Some people never learn!

Cyrus43 · 31st January 2010, 00:53

Someone Please Please give me 27 lakhs! I so want to buy this car.......... AND CRASH IT!!!

SamtheLeo · 31st January 2010, 01:22

27 lakhs, is somebody serious, How does Toyota thinks that a car for 10 lakhs in US should be charged 27 lakhs in India

ibcool · 8th February 2010, 13:47

The Toyota Prius is a good looking car.

While reading the Mumbai Mirror came across this, Any news on pricing?
the Prius India website - http://toyotaprius.co.in/

The have a fantastic brochure on the toyota india website too - Toyota - New Prius

anekho · 8th February 2010, 14:29

Nice! I think I should start an ownership thread for my prius soon!

Sudan_NFS · 8th February 2010, 15:01

why toyota is giving ad here when they are planning for a recall in USA and Japan.
are there some one here to buy this prius blindly even when it has a global problem.
I feel Toyota is taking us for a ride with this Prius car.

JayPrashanth · 8th February 2010, 15:24

Sudan,

I spoke to the Toyota folks at the factory and they say that there are no issues with the Prius' sold in India. So, you can rest assured. It isn't right to make comments without verifying stuff.

Cheers,

Jay

normally_crazy · 8th February 2010, 15:43

27 lakhs ???

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha - I guess the guys at Toyota got hold of the stuff Skoda guys smoke !

This could outdo the Civic hybrid in not selling at all. For those of you who want this - wait for 6 months, you just mite get it for 13 lacs.

And if the car still doesn't sell - Toyota can always recall the cars and transfer them to other markets.

29th January 2010, 01:22	#61
427Cubes Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 24 Thanked: 9 Times	Newbie’s Hybrid Dreams Having a soft corner for environment (and my petrol bills), I do believe Hybrid technology holds promise. The traffic conditions in our major cities involve a lot of stopping, waiting and moving forward at slow speeds. These are exactly the conditions in which Prius excels and I would not be surprised if Prius betters its fuel economy ratings of US in India. We can’t expect the GOI to exempt Prius of all import duties. Never the less any help from GOI in facilitating car manufacturers to build supplier base for components required for Hybrid technology would be appreciated. Currently I don’t think that our auto component suppliers have the capability of providing some key components for Hybrid vehicles like batteries. It takes some time to be able to develop capabilities to produce them and unless there is enough demand to justify the investment I don’t believe anyone is going to invest in these areas. So allowing Toyota to price Prius competitively (couple of lacs more than similar conventional car lets say Corolla) could help in creating demand and linking it with some time bound expectations of localization could be very helpful for entire automotive sector in the long run. Hmm, here I go again, starting to dream about driving a Hybrid car at affordable prices in India.
	() Thanks

29th January 2010, 05:58	#63
VIPER_SRT BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: PA Posts: 439 Thanked: 189 Times View My Garage	24 KMPL for a car (luxury I suppose) is not a bad deal if priced right in India. Its a better car than corolla and the new one is technologically more advanced. Coming to your point of Gas guzzlers in US, right now there are many models in US which are fuel efficient compared to Honda's and Toyota's. As per your "Pity on American's" comment, the best selling cars in US are Toyota and Honda which have most fuel efficient cars in their lineup. Majority of the people in US are middle class and always prefers value for money like many of us in India and thats the reason Toyota Camry is the best/highest selling car in US for many years. If Prius is a success in US then its not only because it gives 50MPG but also because people care about environment. If you take Corolla for instance, Its more powerful than Prius Costs around $17K Decent mileage of 35MPG on Highway and 27 in city Happily runs for around 200k miles if maintained properly Whereas Prius is Very poor in pickup Costs around $25K Mileage is around 45 (real mileage if driven like other cars) of course city and HWY You need to change the LI-ION battery after 120k Miles which is very expensive I compared Corolla and Prius since they are similar in size and interiors. Last edited by GTO : 29th January 2010 at 09:47. Reason: Removing the quoted post of another member
	() Thanks

30th January 2010, 13:58	#64
v12 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,739 Thanked: 7,213 Times View My Garage	The Prius has been launched at around 27L ex-showroom, Mumbai. Toyota - New Prius
	() Thanks

30th January 2010, 22:38	#66
Diesel lover BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 247 Thanked: 93 Times View My Garage	Hybrids the way to go !!! And finally Prius is heading to India. With a right price tag ... it will eat the competition raw ... “The Age of the environment” is said to be the 21st century, the center of attention in the world of hybrid cars is sure. Increasing awareness of rising gasoline prices and the global environment, such as favorable tax incentives to all low-emission vehicle “standard car of the future” is also seen as a beginning to climb the stairs. Last edited by GTO : 8th February 2010 at 10:11. Reason: Removing marketing link
	() Thanks

31st January 2010, 00:49	#68
Anand123 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 2,297 Thanked: 5,225 Times	The Prius is going the same way that the Civic hybrid went. Nobody's going to pay 27 lakh for this car and protect the environment. Some people never learn!
	() Thanks

31st January 2010, 00:53	#69
Cyrus43 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: London Posts: 5,019 Thanked: 221 Times View My Garage	Someone Please Please give me 27 lakhs! I so want to buy this car.......... AND CRASH IT!!!
	() Thanks

31st January 2010, 01:22	#70
SamtheLeo BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne Posts: 451 Thanked: 26 Times	27 lakhs, is somebody serious, How does Toyota thinks that a car for 10 lakhs in US should be charged 27 lakhs in India
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 13:47	#71
ibcool BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 75 Thanked: 7 Times	Mumbai Mirror Full pg ad for Toyota Prius The Toyota Prius is a good looking car. While reading the Mumbai Mirror came across this, Any news on pricing? the Prius India website - http://toyotaprius.co.in/ The have a fantastic brochure on the toyota india website too - Toyota - New Prius Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 14:29	#72
anekho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: . Posts: 1,995 Thanked: 684 Times	Nice! I think I should start an ownership thread for my prius soon!
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 15:01	#73
Sudan_NFS BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: chennai Posts: 759 Thanked: 16 Times	why toyota is giving ad here when they are planning for a recall in USA and Japan. are there some one here to buy this prius blindly even when it has a global problem. I feel Toyota is taking us for a ride with this Prius car.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 15:24	#74
JayPrashanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore/Goa Posts: 1,302 Thanked: 2,074 Times	Sudan, I spoke to the Toyota folks at the factory and they say that there are no issues with the Prius' sold in India. So, you can rest assured. It isn't right to make comments without verifying stuff. Cheers, Jay
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 15:43	#75
normally_crazy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,369 Thanked: 528 Times View My Garage	27 lakhs ??? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha - I guess the guys at Toyota got hold of the stuff Skoda guys smoke ! This could outdo the Civic hybrid in not selling at all. For those of you who want this - wait for 6 months, you just mite get it for 13 lacs. And if the car still doesn't sell - Toyota can always recall the cars and transfer them to other markets.
	() Thanks