Hi folks,

First the latest harvest of "CNW Marketing" from http://news.google.com:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...607180348/1001

"Toyota, Honda add hybrid incentivesBANDON, Ore. -- Toyota Motor Corp. 's Prius and Honda Motor Co. 's Civic Hybrid, the two best-selling U.S. gasoline- electric cars, are being sold by dealers at a discount even with limited inventory of both models, a market survey claimed. Prius is receiving discounts of as much as $1,100 from U.S. dealers, while Civic Hybrid buyers are getting back as much as $800, CNW Marketing Research , an industry forecaster based in Bandon, Ore., said Monday.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...607190402/1148
". . .

Sales of hybrids in the United States, the biggest market for such vehicles, grew 26 percent in the year's first half. Toyota grabbed a 73 percent share of the segment.

In spite of the strong sales, Honda and Toyota dealers have started offering some discounts on their hybrids.

Prius is receiving discounts of as much as $1,100 from U.S. dealers, while Civic Hybrid buyers are getting back as much as $800, CNW Marketing Research, an industry forecaster based in Bandon, Oregon, said Tuesday.

Gasoline prices, approaching $3 a gallon for much of the year, have boosted sales of hybrids from Toyota, Honda and Ford Motor Co. to a record 116,767 through June from 92,558 a year ago. Industry sales of all vehicles fell 2.4 percent in the same period.

. . ."

http://www.blackenterprise.com/yb/yb...lackenterprise

"2006-07-18
Daily Breeze

HYBRIDS

Dealers discounting 2 popular models

Toyota's Prius and Honda's Civic Hybrid, the two best-selling gas- electric cars, are being sold by dealers at a discount even with limited inventory of both models, a market survey said Monday.

Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid, is being sold at discounts of as much as $1,100 by U.S. dealers, while Civic Hybrid buyers are getting back as much as $800, CNW Marketing Research, an industry forecaster based in Bandon, Ore., said Monday.

In some cases dealers are either selling cars below the sticker price or offering payments higher than book value for trade-ins, CNW President Art Spinella said Monday.

. . ."

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story....6-622a5327b670

". . .
According to Art Spinella, the uber-auto analyst and President of CNW Marketing Research, hybrid sales every month this year have been down compared to the same time last year. Even sales of the Toyota Prius – the darling of the greens – have dropped significantly. The only segment besides taxis where hybrids are still holding steady – taxpayers will be happy to note -- is the car fleets maintained by the government.

What's particularly interesting is that individual consumers are defying all expectations and turning their backs on hybrids at a time when gas prices are soaring. (The average U.S. retail price of gas spiked to a record high of $3.01 last September following hurricane Katrina, and just last week it hit its second highest price ever at nearly $3.00.) Nor is the reason all that mysterious. Spinella's customer satisfaction surveys show that 62 percent of hybrid owners are dissatisfied with the fuel-economy performance of their cars given what they have paid for them.

This means that when gas prices go up, these people don't rush out to buy more hybrids. "They buy a Chevy Aveo," says Spinella. "It delivers the same fuel economy as a Prius, but at half the price."
. . ."


First things first, news we don't like is not always wrong. Before responding to any of these publications, the first step is to find the local Toyota dealer and make a call. Find out the local facts and data. Then send the 'letter to the editor' citing the local source and facts.

The goal is to present facts and data, easily verifiable facts and data, to the local paper or editors. As CNW Marketing's accuracy becomes more and more suspect, the local news outlet will be less and less likly to take their pronouncements without doing what a cub reporter should do, make local calls to check the facts and data. You can be the missing "cub reporter."

It is easy to gain the impression of an orchestrated, anti-hybrid campaign from not only CNW Marketing but GM executives and other skeptics. But we have only had hybrids for five years. The proof is measured in product endurance in the market place.

One last thing, keep your objectivity and see our hybrids, warts and all. I'm slowly modifying my NHW11 Prius to improve performance and capabilities. Painting a too rosy picture is worse than a false report, which can be easily refuted. So don't hide or gloss over the limitation but you don't have to volunteer it either.

Bob Wilson

 

This is crazy. If I go to edmunds.com and look at their true market value, I see that the Prius is selling for about $2,000 over MSRP and the Civic Hybrid is selling for MSRP. CNW definitely has an agenda. I also think it is best to email the reporter/newspaper and politely point out the discrepancies while providing references. I have actually had very positive results doing such with a local news reporter concerning a piece on hybrids.

 

Huh?

 

HCH2's are still selling for MSRP in my area. From the salesperson I talk with, there is a waiting list at every dealer within the area. CNW is a troll.

 

Right. I agree.

In what alternate universe does a Chevy Avo get the same fuel economy as a Prius. Even the "real world" mileage on the Prius is in the upper 40s. There is no non-hybrid other than the Smart FourTwo that gets it.

 

The discounts mentioned-$1100 and $800 for HCH2 and Prius certainly were being given in Feb,Mar,April before the latest runup in gas prices. His statement is clear, but it could be misleading. He said "up to $1100" not that the average discount was $1100. Now up to $1100 might mean just one was sold with an $1100 discount.
I know for a fact that Miller Toyota-in the DC area,I think-was discounting PK 6 Prius for $24600-about $2000 off MSRP until about mid April.On April 22 I bought a PK 4 for $23700-maybe $350 off MSRP in NO and our dealers are really predatory.
I saw several HCH 2 go begging on Ebay in March for under $21000.I saw several HCH2 sell for slightly under $21000 on Ebay-it was common.
All that has changed- for the most part HCH2 go for about MSRP and Prius go for a little -and I mean little as in a couple hundred$$-under MSRP. Now CA is a different story for a lot of reasons-folks there pay MSRP if they are lucky-probably a bit more with the usual crummy CS add ons.
What this pundit is ignoring is that the discounts on all non Hybrids ARE ALWAYS MORE THAN $1100-!Toyota was offering $500 rebate on Corollas in CA until about 2 weeks ago!!Imagine the discount on a Focus,Cobalt,Malibu,Neon,Caliber,Sentra etc.
It isn't a balanced article, but so what.
I do expect Prius prices to drop soon-post Sept- when the Tax Credit halves, and more Prius become available. All this assumes-big assumption-that oil doesn't really spike because of Iran/Nigeria/Lebanon/Hurricanes etc.
If gas is $3 or less in Oct 2006 we will get some decent discounts on Prius-I hope!!They won't match the $3150 Credit, of course, that was basically a gift to the middle and upper middle class that we won't see again! Luck,Charlie
PS- Sure an Aveo gets Prius mpg-falling off a cliff! It is a shame-I like the Aveo's styling-looks like an Echo-but that CS primitive engine just doesn't deliver.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoebeisis

The discounts mentioned-$1100 and $800 for HCH2 and Prius certainly were being given in Feb,Mar,April before the latest runup in gas prices. His statement is clear, but it could be misleading. He said "up to $1100" not that the average discount was $1100. Now up to $1100 might mean just one was sold with an $1100 discount.

That is a good point in regards to the prices that dealers are selling them at and their wording. As for incentives, Toyota and Honda are not currently offering incentives for the Prius or Civic Hybrid, respectively. I do not know if they have offered incentives in the past for these vehicles, but I would guess not. There is no need to. Saying "Toyota, Honda add hybrid incentives" is misleading or incorrect.

 

I can't comment on whether you can get a discount on a Prius. No dealerships in my area had any in stock for sale. If I wanted one I could put a deposit down and purchase it for MSRP when it arrived. The only way I was able to test drive one was to find a used one on a lot. And that one was going for the same price as a new one.

However, I will make one comment regarding "62 percent of hybrid owners are dissatisfied with the fuel-economy performance". I drive my Camry as a hybrid is meant to be driven and get about 38 mpg. However, if I just got in and drove the car as I do any other car I would probably average low 30s. Respectable, but not so much better than a 4 cylinder Camry. I would guess that a majority of the population is not going to read bulletin boards such as this or have ever heard of pulse and glide. They're going to get in them and drive them like any other car they've owned.

 

I would also put forth the idea that the average driver has no clue as to their conventional car's fuel economy. They see 29 MPG on the window and think that's what they're getting. And, on an overwhelming majority on non-hybrid cars, there is no real-time fuel efficiency gauge to tell them anything different.

So... When people graduate from a 1996 Tercel to a Prius, and their Prius shows 44 MPG in the real-time FE meter, they say, "Gee whiz, that's only six MPG more than my $7,900 '96 Tercel (manual, with no AC) got!" But they really didn't know that their 38 MPG conventional car was probably only getting 29-31 MPG -- since that's just how the EPA estimates work.

If every car had a real-time FE gauge, then new hybrid owners would be less gripey about their gas mileage.

 

I was just checking out this joke of a website by CNW Marketing Research.

These are all excerpts from their FAQ.
http://www.cnwmr.com/frequentquestions/


and my favorite

Bob is also from Alabama. Coincidence? I think NOT!!!

Edit: I should also disclose that I was born in Alabama.