Our Love with the Toyota Prius-Plug In

The 2014 Prius Plug-in Hybrid is the smallest range plug-in in the market today with all-electric range of 6 miles from full to empty, and a ‘blended’ petrol + electric range of 11 miles from a full charge. Yet U.S. sales of Toyota’s first mass-produced plug-in hybrid are on the rise. The Toyota Prius plug-in Hybrid still leads Chevrolet’s range-extended Volt EV on year-to-date sales.

The Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid are also experiencing a massive boost in sales, showing a clear move towards plug-in technology among the car-buying public. But why are cars like the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid and Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid selling so well? What can be learnt from their success?

The major reason why Toyota’s Plug-in Prius and Ford’s Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid are selling so well is deeply rooted brand loyalty among its customers. With more Hybrid car sales than any other automaker, Toyota Prius has become a symbol of fuel economy, frugality and environmentally friendly motoring.

The Prius is at the end of its third generation and the trend is that customers tend to exchange the Prius for a Prius. As people tend to buy more Hybrids they are more worried about its range hence Toyota has been offering petrol engines as a reassuring back up.

Both the Ford Energi plug-in hybrid and the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid look no different to their non-plug-in siblings. Unlike the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan LEAF, Mitsubishi i-Miev and BMW i3, the plug-in Prius and the Fusion Energi look like normal, petrol-guzzling cars. The Toyota Prius has green credentials as well as the ability to blend in with the crowd as they can be driven on both petrol and electricity.