Toyota to sell a cheaper Prius
Turns out that the most popular car in Silicon Valley will now have a slightly less expensive price tag.
Toyota said this week that it will sell a new standard 2008 model of its gas-electric hybrid car for $20,950, or 5.5 percent less than its 2007 version, according to a story from the Los Angeles Times (readable here without subscription at the Cincinnati Post's site.) The base price does not include destination charges and options like cruise control and heated rear-view mirrors.
Still, Toyota is raising the price of its midsize and Touring models of the Prius by $150 each. The three versions will start selling at dealerships in August.
On a related note, Toyota is also testing hybrid cars with rechargeable batteries in the United States and Japan.
Earlier this month, research firm R.L. Polk reported that the Prius was the best-selling car in Silicon Valley in the first five months of 2007, comprising just over 5 percent of the new cars and trucks registered in the county.
I hope they mean heated side view mirrors.
Good luck actually finding one of the stripped down models when you show up at the dealership.