Toyota's Prius C Priced, Comes In March

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Toyota U.S.A., Inc. today announced pricing for the 2012 Prius c subcompact hybrid. They were not kidding when they had promised that the car would start at below $19,000.

The base version can be had for $18,950. For those who want something more dignified, the Prius c will be available in four grades, all the way up to $23,230 MSRP.

The miserly 53mpg (city) hatchback is promised to arrive at Toyota dealerships in March 2012. For more information …

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Car_guy2010 Car_guy2010 on Feb 09, 2012

    I have to be honest here: this is the only Toyota I've ever wanted to own. Call it lame. Call it crazy. But I've always hoped that Toyota would create something like this. I can't afford a regular Prius. The Prius c is within my range of affordability and I want something that's good on gas. Now only to figure out how long it'll take to scrape up that much change.

  • Jerseydevil Jerseydevil on Feb 09, 2012

    From everything I read, the Fit is fun to drive. THe Priiieses (or whatever) have not been noted for that. I choose fun to drive. Done.

    • Supersleuth Supersleuth on Feb 09, 2012

      Let's not exaggerate. My (base, stick) Fit is pleasant enough to drive but really, nothing special. I've also driven a Sport and the (very) slightly sharper handling is kind of negated by the even more jiggly ride. (And an automatic will completely suck what life there is out of the torqueless engine, so most Fit buyers really aren't getting much fun at all.) The Prius C wouldn't have to be all that great a driver to be in the ballpark. The new Yaris chassis on which this is presumably based is supposed to be not bad at all, so that's by no means impossible.

  • Junebug Junebug on Feb 09, 2012

    Anybody know if insurance is higher on hy-brids like this?

  • Philosophil Philosophil on Feb 09, 2012

    It sounds like a great little car. If it turns out to be as reliable as the Prius, then Toyota deserves some praise for this.

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