Share

And now for another little lesson in new-car pricing …

Last week Toyota Canada announced a big price reduction for the 2012 Prius hybrid, chopping the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) to $25,995 from $27,800 – $1,805 in all. Price reductions are always good.

Even better, Toyota announced "the 2012 Prius is equipped with $766 worth of extra features as standard, including all season floor mats, back monitor and display audio with USB input and Bluetooth connectivity." Plus, "an updated interior and exterior with styling that packs plenty of advanced convenience and innovative technology features."

The price and packaging story here amounts to an improved Prius "value" to the tune of nearly $2,700. More than 23,000 Canadians already have bought a Prius and even more might be tempted now to look closely at the 2012 version.

Or the 2011 one which has $3,000 tucked beside that very advanced and incredibly reliable Hybrid Synergy Drive system in the form of a factory-to-consumer rebate. That means you shouldn't need to negotiate for it. Just slash $3,000 off the after-tax amount.

Now it would be nice if Toyota served up the rebate before taxes; that would save you a few hundred more. But on balance, the re-priced 2012 Prius is listing for about the same amount at the outgoing 2011 model.

Toyota, by the way, keen to shine the spotlight on its emerging Prius brand. That's right, Prius brand. Despite saying for years that there would never be a Prius brand, Toyota has done an about-face and gone there.

In fact, before the year is out, the regular Prius and Prius V wagon will be joined by the Prius c subcompact ($20,950) and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHV), which has a range of about 25 km on battery power alone, says Toyota. The family Prius will soon have four models.

Deals of the Week, of course, is always looking for fat offers and, in addition to the $3,000 we found on the 2011 Prius hatch, we dug up something interesting on the Mercedes-Benz R-Class crossover ($57,400): offers that on the surface look to be worth as much as $3,400, but in reality are a little less.

Here's the story. The advertised 4MATIC 4ALL Credit factory-to-dealer rebate is actually worth $1,200 because there is a $1,200 dealer participation fee. Still, $1,200 is nothing to sniff about when you can combine it with another $1,200 in Direct Support Finance and Lease cash factory-to-dealer rebate and 1.9 per cent financing for up to five years. Now that's a package worth working for, at least to some buyers.

Deals then was stunned to see up to $9,000 in discounts – a bit more, really, if you're in the military or a student – on a $31,670 Chevrolet Colorado pickup. That sort of sales sweetener almost pales in comparison to the $3,500 Hyundai Canada has in play on the Hyundai Santa Fe.

As usual, Deals of the Week obtained pricing information from carcostcanada.com, among other sources. Here are the numbers:

• MSRP: $27,800
• Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1665
• Dealer discount (estimated): $750
• Taxable subtotal: $28,715
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $32,447.75
• Factory discount: $3,000 (Consumer Cash Incentive factory-to-consumer rebate)
• Final price: $29,447.75

• MSRP: $29,699
• Freight, air conditioning tax and dealer prep: $1,860
• Dealer discount: $1,000
• Factory discount: $3,500 (Dealer Cash factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $27,059
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $30,576.67
• Factory discount: $1,500 (Cash for Lease factory-to-customer rebate)
• Factory discount: $500 (Auto Show Bonus factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Factory discount: $750 (Canadian Forces bonus)
• Final price: $27,826.67
• Can be combined with 3.3 per cent lease rate for 24-48 months

• MSRP: $31,670
• Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax and Green Levy: $1,595
• Dealer discount (estimated): $1,450
• Factory discount: $7,000 (Stackable Cash factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $24,815
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $28,040.95
• Factory discount: $500 (Auto Show Bonus factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Factory discount: $1,500 (Cash for Lease factory-to-customer rebate)
• Final price: $26,040.95
• Can be combined with 1.99% for up to 48 months

• MSRP: $57,400
• Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $2,095
• Dealer discount (estimated): $2,500
• Factory discount: $2,200 (4MATIC 4ALL Credit factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Factory discount: $1,200 (Direct Support Finance and Lease Cash factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $53,595
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $60,562.35
• Can be combined with 1.9 per cent financing for up to 60 months

Pricing information source: carcostcanada.com. Calculations based on Ontario customers. Please note that while the information above is accurate at the time of publication, incentives are given at the discretion of individual dealers, and may be changed or discontinued at any time. Dealer discounts are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis.

Correction: An earlier online version of this story misidentified the Hyundai Santa Fe and contained incorrect figures pertaining to the final cost of the vehicle.