Updated Data Revises Some Hybrid Payback Times
August 05, 2009
Armed with more detailed 2010 model-year data regarding hybrid-electric vehicle pricing,
incentives and equipment levels that affects payback times, data analysts at Edmunds.com
are issuing revised payback times recently listed for several hybrid models.
Most notably, the battle between Toyota Motor Corp.'s new Prius and the equally new 2010 Insight from Honda Motor Co. Ltd. draws considerably closer than Edmunds.com's analysis originally reported.
Because of the 2010 Prius' high level of standard equipment even for the entry model, the difference in price between the Prius and Insight -- the main factor in determining the difference in payback times -- has been revised from $4,030 to $1,041 to reflect the best comparison between a base Prius and a similarly equipped Insight.
Correspondingly, the difference in payback time between the two now is 6.8 years rather than the originally reported 26.2 years.
Also, a new differential between the Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid in Edmunds.com's proprietary True Market Value formula means that for 2010, the Toyota Camry Hybrid -- the hybrid segment's payback-time leader -- has a payback time that stretches slightly to 1.4 years (from 0.7 year) and a hybrid "premium" that increases from $289 to $477.
Thanks to changing content levels and incentive structures, payback times also have changed -- for better and worse -- for hybrids sold by Toyota's Lexus premium-vehicle division.
A payback time that was 9.1 years for Lexus' GS 450h hybrid midsize sedan improves to 6.9 years, attributable to a closing of TMV that reduces the GS 450h's hybrid "premium" from $2,792 to $2,114.
The payback time for the RX 450h stretches from six years to 10.1 years largely because of differences in incentive levels for the conventionally powered RX 350, while changing equipment levels means that, when compared to the "standard" LS 460 L, the payback time for the flagship LS 600h L goes from 70.3 years to 114.6 years. -- Bill Visnic
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 1:45 PM under Analysis , Companies , Technology , Toyota | Comments (0) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
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