[nemomarx]

I think the target audience for a Toyota or Honda (boring but reliable car) isn't very interested in the kind of quality control Tesla has. They're supposed to make up for that in other features and the unique style of the truck is part of that, in theory.

[armadsen]

I think the current Prius PHEV looks much better than any Tesla right now. (It’s a plugin hybrid not a pure EV, of course.)

[cosmic_cheese]

The current Prius is legitimately cool looking. Hard to believe it’s the same family that had been lampooned for its design for most of its existence.

[neilv]

IMHO, Toyota did an awesome job of taking the 2004 Prius funny wedge compact eco-nerd-mobile look (which might have been exactly what it needed at the time), and making it look sleek and modern and powerful.

I'm imagining a designer looking at the earlier windshield slant, and knowing they could work with that, and retain references to the iconic earlier design.

[throwaway173738]

Industrial designers are like stage magicians.

[dzhiurgis]

Putting up with PHEV + ancient Toyota tech vs the looks takes a special person.

[breve]

Toyota sold the most cars of any auto group in 2024.

They seem to understand the car market.

[dzhiurgis]

They also spent billions trying to destroy EVs. Don't underestimate power of oil and legacy auto's marketing and political influence.

[CamperBob2]

It had little to do with oil, and a lot to do with their managements' irrational infatuation with hydrogen.

Toyota wasted a lot of time and money on that bet, and lost a lot of ground in the market.

[breve]

> lost a lot of ground in the market

Toyota sells the most cars of any auto maker. What ground was lost?

It's clear Toyota has correctly assessed the market. They got it right.

As time goes on, BEVs will be a bigger percentage of the cars they sell. In the meantime they'll keep selling the cars they've got, including their current BEVs.

[breve]

Maybe it's more simple. Maybe Toyota just make cars people want to buy.

[dzhiurgis]

So you agree $2-3 billion they spend on advertising is a waste of money then?

[lotsofpulp]

The people I see with Model 3 and Y are the ones who came from Camrys and Rav4.

Tesla EVs have the most data to support their reliability (at least the 3/Y), and they are clearly very reliable. Plus it costs just as much as a Rav 4, but has tons more torque. And the software is much better even though it lacks Carplay.

[otterley]

If Elon’s antics didn’t already turn me off as a Tesla customer, lack of CarPlay support slammed the coffin shut completely.

[lotsofpulp]

I thought that too, and then Toyota wanted $15 per month for remote start and made it seem like they were doing me a favor when I went to buy a car, so I ended up with a Tesla. Ended up not missing Carplay, and it cost $20k less for a car that seats 5 adults and 2 kids.