The Prius family is losing another member.
Following the demise of the Prius C in 2020, the Toyota Prius V will be following it out the door.
“Toyota Australia will discontinue selling the Prius V in Australia from 31 August 2021,” said a spokesperson from Toyota Australia.
“This decision was made as a result of a small and declining customer demand for vehicles in the small wagon segment.
“Orders are no longer being taken for the Prius V in Australia, with remaining stock to be supplied to fill existing customer orders until August 31.”
Production of the practical hybrid wagon ended in March 2021.
That leaves just the Prius hatchback which, although it uses the newer TNGA architecture, sells in even lower numbers than the Prius V.
Despite the Prius’ sales performance, Toyota Australia isn’t discontinuing the model.
“Toyota remains committed to maintaining the Prius nameplate in Australia, with the Prius hatch continuing as part of Toyota’s popular hybrid range,” said the Toyota Australia spokesperson, adding they expected customers to continue to place orders for the Prius hatch into the future.
The declining fortunes of the Prius family are in stark contrast to Toyota’s overall performance in the hybrid market.
Toyota sold 54,355 hybrid vehicles last year, or 89 per cent of all hybrid sales in Australia. The Corolla hybrid alone accounted for 13,943 of these.
The company has continued to expand its range of hybrid offerings, and now offers hybrid Yaris, Yaris Cross, Corolla, C-HR, RAV4 and Camry models with a hybrid Kluger coming this year.
In the first four months of 2021, Toyota has sold 63 Prius Vs but only 18 Prius hatchbacks.
Introduced in Australia in 2013, the Prius V offered a more practical wagon body with a third row of seating.
Its most successful year was 2014, where Toyota sold 943 examples. Afterwards, sales began a gradual decline, though it regularly outsold the Prius hatch if not the more affordable Prius C.
Toyota showrooms won’t be without a seven-seat hybrid for long.
The Kluger is due in showrooms in June 2021, though even the cheapest seven-seat Kluger Hybrid will be pricier than the admittedly smaller Prius V.
Overseas model pictured
The Kluger GX AWD hybrid is priced at $54,150 before on-roads, while the outgoing Prius V range opens at $35,400 before on-roads.
