Far few Toyota buyers?
Editor's note - This article was written in 2010, but we're seeing similar patterns in 2012. Ultimately, demand for the Prius is high, and that means deals are limited, especially on hot Toyota hybrids like the Prius C, which is extremely limited in terms of supplies. Once again, it might be worth it to wait a few months to buy a Toyota hybrid.
Based on auto sales figures today, it would seem that Toyota has weathered its recall woes very well. New research, however, warns that Toyota's sales are a result of the "pull-ahead affect". Essentially, incentives brought would-be Toyota shoppers to market a bit sooner.
Moving forward, Toyota will need new consumers, and that probably won't be easy without even more incentives. Brand consideration for Toyota has dropped from 75 percent in January to 49 percent in February - about the same as domestics.
Of course, February was Toyota's worst month in history, and the latest stories against Toyota have demonstrated that many of Toyota's recalls might be as much about bad drivers as mechanical malfunctions. So, in some ways, Toyota might be seeing a little light. And, even worse for hybrid consumers, incentives on hybrids have barely been needed. Still, I'd bet many Toyota Prius shoppers, for instance, were lured into their dealerships in hope of deals.
Eventually, however, if the "pull-ahead affect" is an accurate description of Toyota's current sales, Toyota dealerships could soon find themselves short of consumers, and that will mean more incentives, even on Toyota's coveted hybrid cars.
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