The rumors are flying. Some dealers are creating "excitement" with teasers like greater MPG figures and new colors. Anyone have a clue about MY2002 features? and when I can place my order?<br><br>Thanks,<br>Ken and Judy <br>Naperville, IL

Thank you Peter. I very much appreciate your summary of the ee and priusman info. It is very hard to search the archive for this club info and for the yahoo.groups. <br><br>With gas prices rising maybe we will just jump in and buy a 2001 :-)<br><br>Ken and Judy<br>Naperville, IL

I beleive the best info on 2002MY options/ features are in msg#643 (Priusman) "split fold down seats was the one (option) we fought hardest for"... The same people probably fought again, maybe they won...<br>#2983 (Midas89) email from Toyota that Cruise Control and GPS will be available on 2002MY<br>#3004 (Pete Morrison) More power in the ICE and electric motor, smaller battery, more stealth, etc.<br> These posts seem to tell the story - IMHO.<br>On color: The brochure I have from my local Toyota Dealer lists the current 4 colors plus Blue Moon Pearl and Brilliant Blue Pearl. My guess is that these light and dark blue colors will be available in '02.<br> I plan to order a dark blue in '02. Of course, the order depends on price... <br><br>Zeke

I've been wondering...<br><br>I just recently ordered a MY01. Does it make sense that once the MY02 comes out that alot of people may cancel their MY01 order so that they can get a MY02. Doesn't that mean that I will keep getting bumped up the delivery list and I may get my car alot sooner than normal?<br><br>maybe? maybe????

I should add one thing, having searched (manually!) back through the messages from Pman over the last several months. One thing that he said unequivocably: You will not be able to order a 2002 Prius until the 2001 model year is sold out (i.e. until all the Priuses that will be built for 2001 MY are covered by orders).<br><br>He also said about a month ago that at the then current rate, the 2001 MY would be sold out by the end of April.<br><br>Based on those statements (and realizing that the order rates can change and that there could be a gap between the last 2001 order and the first 2002 order, I suspect that 2002 info if not orders should be around pretty soon. I sure hope so!<br><br>Burns

One thing to bear in mind amidst the euphoria of thinking about the MY02 Prius is that the price will probably go up, perhaps significantly. Remember that the MY01 Prius has been sold at or under cost with no or only very little profit being made on each car. Obviously that can't go on forever, so expect that, along with all the goodies such as other colors, side air bags and all the other neat stuff which has been speculated about, the price will also go up. There ain't no free lunch, as they say.<br>Alan

My money is on no price increase for MY2002. The NIMHI Battery has been the major stumbling block for price and supply of the Prius. First 3yrs approx 36,00 batteries made. MY2001 alone 36,000 batteries made. Depends on how many batteries they can crank out in MY2002 and their cost. There are significant savings in numbers. <br>19,995 to even just 20,495 is a big leap in maketing the Prius. Time will tell.<br>Charlie

On the other hand, with every Prius that rolls off the line, Toyota's costs go down. Not only does the factory run better with time, not only do they get volume discounts from their suppliers, not only do they get thousands of little engineering tweaks to cut costs, but at some point they will have paid back the investment in developing the software.<br><br>Didn't one of the Toyota people say that they hit breakeven back in November?

495 Toyota in Milford Mass told me last Thursday (April 19th) that my order was for a 2002 model.<br><br>In fact they wrote "subject to price increase" on my order (so I made my deposit refundable based on the price increase as well).

&gt;495 Toyota in Milford Mass told me last Thursday (April 19th) that my order was for a 2002 model.<br><br>I hate to tell you, but I think you were lied to by a car salesman (imagine that!). On this board we have been told, in no uncertain terms, that a 2002 Prius will not be ordered before all of the 2001s are gone. Toyota, nor anybody associated with Toyota, has released any information regarding this topic. With Priusman, ee_of_ee, and numerous dealers in the group, I'm sure we would have heard if such a switch had occurred.<br><br>Also, I know a previous post has said that a different company was designing the 2002 Prius Web Site, which (I presume) will be styled differently than the current one. I'm sure that will be one of the big signals that it is open season on the ordering of new Prii.<br><br>As for Toyota threatening to cancel your order...I'm not sure about that one, as my wife and I have decided to wait for the MY2002 before going through the ordering process.<br><br>Preston

Well I certainly hope that the Sales guy, Eric Sharp - 495 Toyota Milford MA, did not lie to me, but that's what he said!<br><br>Here's the message from Toyota (note that they will cancel if they "do not hear from" me within 2 days, but it's unclear what "hear from" me means (i.e. customer service claimed ignorance and told me to call the dealer):<br><br>It has come to our attention that you have not reached agreement over price or lease to finalize your purchase request for a Prius. Due to limited availability, and to ensure the processing of your request, please finalize your agreement with a Toyota Prius participating dealer at this time. If you need assistance or have any questions, please click on the<br>link below and a Toyota representative will be happy to assist you. If we do not hear from you within the next two days, you will have to resubmit your request and start the process again. We look forward to your continued interest in Prius. Thank you.<br><br> <a href=http://toyota.custhelp.com target=new>http://toyota.custhelp.com</a>

Sounds like the dealer has taken your order, but is waiting to process it (like everyone else) until the 2002s can be ordered. That might explain why the e-mail from Toyota does not show you to have a confirmed sale.

hmmm...<br><br>I just spoke to the General Sales Manager at 495 Toyota who tells me that he just confirmed with the regional rep that my order has been placed.<br><br>However he says that there is no way of knowing whether or not it will be a 2001 or 2002.<br><br>Hey PRIUSMAN, does this sound legitimate to you?

&gt;Sounds like the dealer has taken your order, but is waiting to process it <br><br>Yes, BUT...If he waits to do that, and there is no Web Site record, I'm pretty sure you'll have to do the process over again, unless they change the rules for the 2002s.<br><br>Preston

...and one more thing....<br><br>does anyone know how I can confirm that it has been ordered?

I don't think the dealer is waiting for the 2002 model because they told the dude that they already ordered it (though they're researching it, etc...)<br>So dude's got to ask himself a question - do you want a 2001 in the specified time, or wait for a 2002 which will be available at some unknown point.<br> If you want that 2001 I suggest you go over to the dealer and insist on them showing you exactly what they did to order your car. You'll probably find out that they just did the same web order that you could do yourself. Make sure you have your purchase request number handy. If your dealer fails to give you any satisfaction (satisfaction is when you walk away and feel confident that your car has absolutely been ordered - if you have any questions or something doesn't sound right about what they tell you, ask them, and if they act like your questions are bothering them, then I hope there is another dealer nearby because these guys will never help you... sorry, rambling...) and they don't understand that they must do more than the web order, it is essential that you have the dealer give you the number of the regional representative and give them a call with detailed information about your situation (and time frame). DO NOT TRUST THE DEALER TO DO THIS FOR YOU. Your car means far less to them than it does to you. The region is the key to information. It was the only place I could get any, and after numerous posts about it nobody has suggested that this is an incorrect philosophy. It sounds like your dealer has a case of the "know nothings". Take matters into your own hands (and quickly since you only have 2 days).<br> If you wait for the 2002 you are likely to have the same problem with the dealer not knowing how to order properly, so you should probably try to get your situation into shape now. Best of luck,<br>scott

And I wonder if they will discontinue the 3-year free maintenance program for MY02...<br><br>-DanC