Now we are getting somewhere on MPG/ULE without the usual Euro trash soda can cars or the all electric golf cart looking cars (excluding diesel of course). Much better than the previous over hyped and under performing Prius hybrid generations. 65mpg is more appealing than 40-45mpg, but I'd still never buy one.

Prius people, BMW people, Jeep people, Monster 4X4 truck people, and 'Fast and the Furious' people annoy the hell of out of me. That is a lot of annoyances.

You forgot Boring Family Sedan People, Corvette people, and Misc Other Car people.

Pretty much covers it...

Anyway, it looks like a Prius does now. It performs the same as well... you'd be a klutz not waiting until the 65mpg version came out.

Even if this car made 100mpg, I wouldn't buy it. Would rather take my motorcycle or walk. Ugly.

This is just marketing aimed at slowing down the excitement over any new American cars and hybrids and causing people to put off any purchase of a new car for a couple of years. I would not buy Toyota, or any foreign car, at this time. We need to get serious about supporting our country first.

Gotta agree sparky.

I do have to say I hope this really pushes the rest of them towards plug-ins sooner.

It would be nice to see this kind of mileage in more car.... However, this isn't exactly the panacea for highway mileage, which is where I drive the most .

In other news. The all battery powered car gets the equivelent of 0.00000000000000000 gallons per mile, as it does not use liquid fuel. I think the way they determine mpg for plug in vehicles should give total energy consumption. A gallon of gas contains a cetain amount of energy, this should be easy enough to calculate for manufacturers.

"sometime in 2010 a plug-in Prius will be introduced"

I feel sorry for the idiots who buy the non-plugin model, but I'm going to guess the plug-in model will be hard to find and price gouged.

@ Torque Report,

Where's the coverage of the new Honda Insight? The blips I've read in the auto mags have it outperforming it's EPA numbers (some by a little- 46mpg, some by a LOT- 65mpg). With it's base at $19k and Honda's sportier tuning, Toyota better watch out.

You also forgot naggers. lol @ south park.

@Sparky

"I would not buy Toyota, or any foreign car, at this time. We need to get serious about supporting our country first."

So we should buy lower quality cars are a higher price, after they used union voting power to get taxpayers money to fund their failed businesses? That's a retarded idea. I'll NEVER buy another American car again thanks to the handout. I was planning on buying a Camaro, but screw them. Instead of saying "we screwed up and now we're going to take it like a grown up and file Chapter 11" they said "Oh, it wasn't our fault, how were we supposed to know we need to make a good product and not pay our union employees 50% more than our competition?"

@Torque Report

Any news on the new Dodge Circuit EV?

65 mpg and all you here is whining.
The consensus here seems to want a gas hog's made by low paid workers with no benefits. Aren't they already making cars in Mexico?

Noya said: "I feel sorry for the idiots who buy the non-plugin model, but I'm going to guess the plug-in model will be hard to find and price gouged."

No doubt the plug-in version will be more expensive. LIon batteries are more expensive than NiMH batteries. Price gouging? There is a lot of competition, so except for style cars that appeal to high vanity people with lots of money, price gouging really doesn't work.

Sparky the flag waver says: "I would not buy Toyota, or any foreign car, at this time. We need to get serious about supporting our country first."

Right ... where do you think GM, Ford, Chrysler get their steel? Many components and sub-assemblies are made out the U S of A, even if they get stuck together in Detroit. If they don't buy American, then they have no basis for complaining that I should too.

Cargasm said: "Much better than the previous over hyped and under performing Prius hybrid generations."

Underperforming? 45 mpg is still 50% better than the average new car rating of 31 mpg. What you feel isn't hype, it is some irrational resentment of a stereotype built in your mind.

Can't knock the mileage but crap that is one ugly car. Needs to come with limo tint to hide the driver from view.

Totenglocke: I couldn't agree with you more. Why buy crappy American cars just to support crappy American companies? They are already taking our money indirectly. They are in the shit hole for a reason. I'm an American and all about American pride but nationality aside it comes down to quality and price. And we are just out of our league there.

Just to throw out a thought. American Auto companies were giving the money to the workers. The companies weren't hoarding the cash.... Last I checked, when people have money, they spend money.

Since there's been a huge sentiment against American Auto companies lately, and their sales have plunged due to this sentiment, these companies have needed to reduce worker pay, lay-off workers, build factories in other countries to save money. Or in other words, because people have decided that American cars aren't a good value, the entire American economy has tanked. Remember, value. Your house is now worth less. Your car is now worth less. You investments have tanked. etc...

For those Americans who believe that we would be better off without the big 3. I don't think you understand what's relying on these companies.

@ upl8n8

Thank you! This is the point I have been trying to make for months on here now, and all I get is "shut up you Big 3 lover your cars are crap" I even work for a foreign auto plant, and it sucks! How come people dont understand profit sharing is GREAT for the economy? GM was doing the right thing, it is our politicians fault for taking handouts and giving tax breaks to foreign auto companies who A) pay their workers half as much as domestic, meaning half as much money goes back into the economy and B) Take that money they save on labor and send it where? BACK TO JAPAN. So in other words, not only would we be losing our manufacturing base (national security), we wouldnt have any money! Same scenario with Wal-Mart, but dont get me started! Greedy bastards!

upl8n8 and William:

While i do agree with you guys to a point, I still think the hand outs were a bad idea. I knew most the money is to pay the remaining workforce. Yet the way I see it most of the employees are over paid Union workers anyways. They had an easy ride as far as I'm concerned and did what I think is a poor job anyways based on the quality of the cars. They didn't care because they were protected by the Union.

We are just supporting a failing business model. You do have a point in that it does put SOME money back into our economy but at what price? We can't use tax payer dollars to keep the companies afloat forever. What are we going to do in say 4 years when they run out of money again?

The ultimate answer is they need to come out with better cars. The new Ford Taurus looks promising. It's not just bad sentiment that is causing these companies to fail. The products speaks for themselves. Stop making rental quality cars and we'll buy them. You can't rely on Truck sales to get you through. You know the saying "If you build it, they will come."

I love how the Buy America crowd always gets mad when rational arguments are used against them and their only defense is: "You are all Big 3 Haters". Well, in my case I am not a Big 3 Hater. I simply will not reward poor performing companies with my business. I am not brand loyal, I am "me" loyal when it comes to investing any kind of money for products/services I value. The larger the sum, the larger effort I take to get the best product I can afford. I do look at the bigger picture as well. My car purchases over the last 10 years have supported employees in the U.S. who buy local products, live in local housing, send their children to local schools, and contribute to the local tax base. Can we really simplify this argument by blaming the politicians? Did the politicians tell GM to create Saturn? A money hog from the beginning, and a failed marketing exercise from the beginning. Arguing that corporate profits go back to the home nation HQ is weak when our companies are being funded by tax payer money. Maybe Chevy should change their marketing from "The Heart Beat of America" to, "On Life Support Paid for By America."

@upl8n8

"Or in other words, because people have decided that American cars aren't a good value, the entire American economy has tanked."

No, the American car companies haven't made a profit in years. The economy going bad is what sped up their decent into bankruptcy. Then, since they think they're SO important because they're union members (and union members are all that matter!), they demanded the government give them money. Our idiotic government then gave them billions of tax dollars as a reward for being incompetent at running a business. As a result, people got pissed and vowed to never buy another American car.

You are completely ignoring the chain of events to support a xenophobic idea that anything not American is bad. I guarantee you that many things you consider "basic necessities" and use every day are only available to you BECAUSE we trade with other countries. You want to REALLY help the economy? Not just the US, but the world economy as well? Have complete free trade. No taxes on imports, no limits on how much can be imported, no restrictions. A basic knowledge of international economics teaches you this. Sadly, most Americans know nothing about economics, which is why they elected someone with a horrible economic policy who is doing his best to make sure that he extends this recession and destroys many more freedoms in the US as well.

That's right Tote. The best way to help the world economy is to throw as much money out of this country as possible. (SARCASM)

Any way, I don't really see what's wrong with this Prius. It's not that bad looking (so far), has good mpg, and (unlike all the "cars" Tote suports) can hold a good number of peaple AND cargo.

Totenglocke and legaceez:
Im sorry but the last time I checked, when american workers earn higher wages theyre spending their money at the companies YOU work for, paying YOUR wages, and supporting YOUR families. You really want to place the blame for our economy? Look in the mirror. Lets be honest can one person really decide who we elect as president, congressman or house reps? (no, i voted for mccain) All that we can really do is look in the mirror and ask am I part of the problem or part of the solution? Its attitudes like yours that put us in this situation to begin with and I WILL NOT feel sorry for you when YOUR retirement dwindles away to nothing. If thats not enough about "me" than i don't know what is. When americans invest major dollars in foriegn companies, it hurts american companies...thats it. If american companies are hurt, jobs and money will be lost here and gained there...it's not rocket science. Our country has lots of money to spend, despite all the bad news, and foriegn companies love us for it.
Its not as if US companies are charging "double", for something that will blow up the second you take it home. Saying american cars are lesser quality sounds like something coming from someone who is stuck in the 80's and knows nothing about cars. Have you even looked at some of cars is the US companies lineups latelty? There are some good vehicles with good incntives. They offer the same mileage and the same options as foriegn companies and theyre prices are right in line. Go ahead, save five hundred bucks for car you percieve as "higher quality" and gets 2 more miles to the gallon and when it breaks down and you realize there wasnt that much of difference to begin with, and the twenty-seven dollars you saved in gas over 4 years won't pay for the repairs don't come crying to me. And when you lose your job because there arent enough jobs or money in this country to support the people YOU work for then we will see how you feel about the toyota in your driveway. Meanwhile I'm going to think about the long term and whats best for my family, my town and my country. I will still shop, I will still look for value, and I will still buy the product that I percieve to be best quality...as long as its AMERICAN MADE.