You ask “what’s the point” of owning a Prius when plug-in hybrids will offer a 200 mpg equivalent rating. Well, one obvious reason is that tens of millions of Americans can afford a $25,000 Prius, but not a $40,000-plus plug-in. (GM’s Chevy Volt will likely sell for more than $40-45,000 base, and Toyota’s plug-in version of the Prius will likely sell for $48,000.)

u sounded like a disgruntled GM autoworker that has been laid-off.

Prius earned it’s reputation, get over it.

All I can say is the 2010 toyota prissy will be short lived.

Nissan has leaf
GM has volt
Ford has Focus EV
Chrysler has EV
Honda’s next version of insite

The Toyota prissy will be forgotten and all the prissy fans will fall apart the main problem is 50 MPG

All the new EV will be well over 200 MPG and with rang extenders whats the point of a prissy.

Hybrids are just what they are hybrids. Pure electric is the future.

Sorry to be evil about this site but hybrid TV sets when away too in 1970

They were hybrid transistor and tube technology.

Its just a way to move foward until you perfected the transistor.

Greg

Escape Hybrid is #1 among CUV’s having overtaken Highlander Hybrid while Fusion Hybrid has overtaken Camry Hybrid for #1 slot among sedans.

Ford can take one of their European hatchbacks apply a Hybrid system and sell it as an alternative to Prius.

I’m especially eager to see if Honda will put the latest hybrid system into the Insight and still have it cheaper than Prius.

Toyota recognized the need for quality small cars and hybrids, built them, and capitalized on being in the right place at the right time. They are to be commended for this!

If Obama wants to build a better hybrid than the Prius, then maybe he should build it himself.

Lutz is simply a nutcase when he talks to the press. As has been noted, he won’t be on the job that much longer, it appears. GM has too much invested in the Volt to let it fail just to sell SUVs again, because they won’t sell the way they did any more.

Why I consider the Volt a competitor to the Prius despite the purported price of $40K (and as far as what I heard, it is $40K *before* the $7.5K credit, which makes its price closer to the top-of-the-line Prius) is that it will beat the Prius in efficiency and range, if it delivers what it promises. Neither the Focus nor the Leaf will truly compete with the Prius since they won’t have its range. The Focus and the Leaf will be pretty much restricted to city driving completely (although I do think that both look promising); that’s not the case for the Prius, nor will it be the case for the Volt.