Toyota Drops Prius Base Price to $21,000 to Compete with Honda Insight

by Benjamin Jones on April 21, 2009

Be sure to check out our 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid photo gallery at the bottom of the post.

Even though Toyota would like us to focus on the not quite stellar 40/43 mpg rating of the new Honda Insight hybrid, most of the press has focused on the hybrid’s low price. In fact, the price was so low that Toyota decided they had to do something to keep the Prius competitive.

In Japan, Toyota dropped the price of the new Prius so far as to almost match that of the base Honda Insight, but we didn’t know what would happen in the U.S. until today. To help the Prius compete with the $19,800 Insight, Toyota announced that they would be selling the car in 5 different trim levels, with the lowest coming in at just $1,200 more than the Insight.

The specs are still unknown about the new, low-priced Prius, but for details on the rest of the trim levels, check out Toyota’s press release:

Prius I To be released at a later date $21,000

Prius II $22,000
â–º 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle engine
â–º P195/65 R15 all-season tires with alloy wheels & covers
â–º Smart Key (driver’s door) and Push Button start
â–º EV, Eco, and Power modes
â–º Multi-Informational Display with energy monitor and fuel consumption history
â–º AM/FM/MP3 CD player with six speakers and satellite radio capability and auxiliary audio jack
â–º Cruise control
â–º STAR Safety System and active front headrest
â–º Seven airbags including driver knee airbag
â–º Four-wheel disc brakes
â–º Tilt/telescopic steering wheel with audio and HVAC Controls with Touch Tracer Display
â–º Six-way adjustable driver seat
â–º Auto up/down on all windows
â–º Color-keyed foldable power heated side mirrors
Prius III In addition to Prius II features: $23,000
â–º JBL AM/FM/MP3 six-disc CD changer with eight speakers
â–º Integrated satellite radio capability
► Hands-free phone capability via Bluetooth® wireless technology

Prius IV In addition to Prius III features: $25,800
â–º Three-door Smart Key system
â–º Leather-trimmed interior
â–º Heated front seats with driver lumbar support
â–º Driver and front passenger water repellant windows
â–º Plasmaclusterâ„¢ ionizer
► Auto dimming mirror with HomeLink®

Prius V In addition to Prius IV features: $27,270
â–º 17-inch alloy wheels and P215/45 R17 tires
â–º LED headlamps with auto leveling and washers
â–º Integrated foglamps

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