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Starring Role: Hollywood's love affair with Toyota's Prius continues
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
Posted Date: 10/13/05

Fans of HBO's "Six Feet Under" mourned the recent end of the series' five-season run. But if Toyota Motor Corp. executives cried about the finale, they might have shed tears of joy over the last episode's closing minutes.

One of the show's lead characters drove down a desert highway, into the sunset, behind the wheel of a Toyota Prius. For the automaker, it was the latest example of Hollywood's love affair with the hybrid car.

Since its introduction in 1997, the Prius has been adopted by environmentally friendly celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. It has been written into the plots of TV shows such as "The West Wing."

Larry David drives a Prius on HBO's comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The Prius also has been an "alternative limo" at the Academy Awards.

The car will appear in the new CBS comedy series "Old Christine" and the romantic comedy movie The Last Kiss.

It's not as if the Prius needs extra exposure to boost sales. The car quickly has become the Toyota brand's third best-selling model, behind the Toyota Camry and Corolla. Customers often wait months to get their vehicles. Toyota has sold more than 100,000 of the cars worldwide.

A distinctive design

Toyota says it plans to build 100,000 of the cars for the United States alone. That's up from the 36,000 units the company initially thought it would produce for the second generation of the Prius, introduced in 2003.

As more consumers buy hybrid cars and trucks, Toyota is hoping to use entertainment venues to promote its hybrid lineup. Because of its unusual design, the Prius has become the poster child of most hybrids.

"The Prius is such a visually distinctive car," says Rob Donnell, CEO of Brand Arc, an entertainment agency in Santa Monica, Calif., that represents Toyota and its luxury brand, Lexus.

"It makes a statement," Donnell says of the Prius. "And it makes it better than any other vehicle out there."

Actors and producers who drive the hybrid often want to include it in their movies or TV shows, Donnell says. In other cases, he adds, the Prius is used to make a statement about a character.

"It's not about saving money on gas," Donnell says. "It's about driving a cleaner vehicle."

They loved it

Producers of "Six Feet Under" approached Donnell to include the Prius in the series finale. Because HBO doesn't accept fees from marketers for product placement, Toyota couldn't control how the vehicle would be shown.

"They said: 'Don't worry about it. You'll love it. It'll be excellent placement,'" Donnell says. The HBO show "hits the Prius demographic better than most network TV."

Mark Simmons, national manager of advertising strategy and media for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., says the company is pleased with the exposure the Prius got on "Six Feet Under": "On a 1-to-10 scale, it was a 10."

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103341

Leets

Considering how much Hollywood loves their luxury, it'll be interesting to see if the GS hybrid becomes anywhere near as trendy as the Prius is.

mmarshall

Well, let's see how long Hollywood ogles over this car after the small diesels sold here get cleaned up with the European-style low-sulfur fuel and urea-injection systems coming next year.

The diesels, even today, get the same mileage....or more......than hybrids, without the comlexities and expense of having two ( or more ) separate motors and the bulky battery packs. So imagine in a couple of years when these diesels get the same mileage as hybrids AND run just as clean....something they can't quite do today. The Prius may ( ? ) end up being about as popular as yesterday's newspaper.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Lexus should definately promote their hybrids, but the RX, GS, and LS hybrids should be dramatically distinctive from their non-hybrid counterparts. Also, it would be great if they created a car that was strictly a hybrid or fuel-cell, such as the Toyota Prius (and perhaps the Volta). We'll see in the next few years...

XeroK00L

Exactly. One of the main problems with all the current hybrid vehicles except the Prius and Insight so far is that they look just like their non-hybrid counterparts. Celebrities who want to make an eco-statement in front of the public will almost always choose the Prius over the others just because it's the most distinctive of all. To this end, I bet they'll rush to appear in a Volta instead of a Prius if the Volta ever comes to production.

Leets

I personally can't wait to see the new diesel technology show up on our shores. My only concern is that the general publics misconception about diesel vehicles may prevent it from being readily available in most vehicles. I don't want to see great diesel sedans meet an early end in the states because they bomb in the marketplace. I don't want to buy Ford's newest land whale just to get a quality diesel.

xioix

diesel can only get popular if they are sold in CA, how long till the diesel become clean? don;t forget that the hybrid system can be attached to diesel, so I don't see where you keep going with the diesel will take over and hybrids will be gone idea

Jeff@Longo

The Volta was designed as a performance hybrid (actually, the same drivetrain found in the RX 400h)... so maybe Hollywood won't flock to it for the same reasons as the Prius. It would, however, be one of the must have cars if it's a limited-production model

The distinct look of hybrid vehicles was once criticized... and Honda marketed rather heavily on how the Civic was the first "normal looking" hybrid vehicle... just as Lexus uses the RX 400h as the first luxury/performance hybrid. Being the one able to set standards is what it's all about =P Of course, I can't wait to see the marketing on the upcoming hybrids. It's an exciting time for Toyota and Lexus. Their sights are set on becoming #1 globally.

mmarshall

Hybrids may not disappear, but when diesels run just as clean as hybrids do ( likely starting in 2007) .....and achieve the same or better mileage with less complexity, the case for hybrids is going to be harder to defend.
Those of you who have mentioned the possibility of diesel hybrids............yes, I agree....that would give even better mileage, but it would not solve the hybrid's complexity problem and the need for those bulky battery packs.

And.....this is not going to be just a case of what sells and doesn't sell in CA. First of all, CARB only regulates one state......though some other states have adopted CARB emission standards at least for gas engines. Second, unlike the past, when CA had higher prices at the pump than any other state, gas is now expensive EVERYWHERE. In fact, CA now has cheaper gas now than a lot of other places. My Washington, DC area is now one of the worst....especially in the city itself.

xioix

I mean, if CA doesn't allow diesel vehicles because it is not clean enough(if they are still not) then they can not get the Hollywood recogonition, and can't get the free publicity

for one thing in my area diesel is more expensive than premium

mmarshall

Yes...diesel fuel varies quite a bit in price in my area too. At some stations it is cheaper than gas.....others, more expensive. There doesn't seem to be much of a pattern to it.

Back to CA....don't be surprised if Governor Arnie sponsors legislation easing some of those CARB rules. He is known to be sympathetic to car owners......he owns at least 3 Hummer H1's himself. It would have to get through the CA legislature, though....not an easy prospect.
Besides, IMO you give Hollywood too much credit......I couldn't care less what they think. With a couple of exceptions like Jay Leno, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, and a couple of other car-oriented actors ( and McQueen has passed away ) what many people in Hollywood know about cars can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

xioix

only thing we can do is wait and see