I just saw on the news:

The Prius, the ninth best-selling U.S. car last month, sold more than 24,000 vehicles in May, outpacing all other hybrids combined. One analyst says Toyota could sell 244,000 of the cars a year.

More details here:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/p...706100331/1003

its another monumental feat for toyota and toyota auto parts!

Toyota Cars, Toyota Accessories, Toyota Auto Parts--rocks my world!

And then there goes all the tax credits.

I have a major issue with the tax credits going away. Where is the encouragement to buy a Hybrid if they are taking away the tax credit. Although I did buy one, I really did nothing but trade the price of gas for the price of the car. For people without a longer commute as I have, it will cost them more money to buy, so its cheaper to pay the $3 a gallon. The government needs to rethink taking away the credit until the hybrids are common every day vehicles for most people. We have to get more GREEN!

That really won't be a problem. As the tax credits go away, Toyota is advancing down the learning curve and the price is going down. This may seem perverse but it looks like the tax credits have been just an indirect subsidy to the car makers. However, Toyota is selling its way out of any credits.

If you want, GM and Honda should still be getting full value tax credits . . . sort of. The current GM showroom cars get a very small tax credit because of their relatively low hybrid performance. The two-mode hybrids should get more.

BTW, I bought my Prius used, no tax anything.

Bob Wilson

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It may seem like it's benefitting the other manufacturers because they haven't sold as many hybrids as Toyota but note that the more Toyota sells, the more money they have for R&D. Then you'll have two cars both with the same price but one is MSRP and one has a tax credit factored in. One's a Toyota, the other is a competitor. Which would you choose?

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the tax credit ultimately played no part in my getting a hybrid.... after looking at both the prius (reduced credit of 768) and the civic (full credit of 2100).... i decided it wasn't "worth" it go settle for a civic just cuz i could get a larger tax credit.... i went with the car i really wanted: the prius! i think we got a decent deal on it (and we were a "may buyer")

If we had 60 Democratic senators (enough to stop a filibuster) or people put enough pressure on the Republicans, I'll bet we could get tax credits back.

But Bob's point is well taken. If manufacturing costs go down, tax credits won't matter. The invisible hand of the market is going to smack the oil companies right on their bottom lines.

David

Go Honda! The Prius is quite dominating right now...Maybe Honda's new hybrid that will "be cheaper than the civic hybrid" will give it a little more competetion. I am glad of the Prius's success, I just don't want a monopoly to form! I want every hybrid make to be successful. Our future is depending on it.

Well the tax credit played a major part in my decision to buy a Prius. I had already owned an Insight Hybrid and thought I could upgrade to better technology with the Prius and was not sure I could afford it without the $3100 tax credit. Then after having my taxes done found out I was screwed as I only got a $2000 tax credit. Still it was better than the $2000 deduction I received with the Inisight back in 2001.

There were no tax credits in 2000, but I've recouped the cost.

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