Prius Hybrid Dealer Charges

Last June, Toyota made a statement that only 2 percent of respondents to a customer satisfaction survey reported paying an extra dealer charge for their Prius.

Yet, every dealer I've contacted has added an average $3000.00 "Dealer Fee" to the price of their Prius hybrids.

I have been told that the fee is "non-negotiable" by multiple Toyota sale's staff.

Still, supply of the Prius does seem to be improving. Sale's reps have told me that this is due to 'unclaimed' cars. Essentially, those that have put a deposit on cars are failing to claim them, defaulting on their downpayment, and providing a few unclaimed and immediately available for sale Prius.

Interesting since they also maintain a waiting list.

To me, it felt like business as usual when dealing with dealerships, untrustworthy.

One sales member told me lack of supply was never about production of hybrid vehicles, but rather the lack of nickel to produce enough Prius NiMH batteries.

This sounds believeable, and I've heard this line before. I plan to follow up on this issue to see if true, and to see if this might also affect the ability to meet future demand - something sure to keep hybrid cars much higher priced than needed.

If the Ford Escape Hybrid and Honda Accord Hybrid both need nickel for their batteries as well, the production of NiMH batteries and the production of hybrids might well be limited for another year or more.

Hopefully, that will not be the case.