[blubot]

hi guys,
been reading a lot on this site abt the prius and last week decided to go to the dealer to get me one! I am looking fwd to the delivery next wed! Living in crowded Hong Kong this is the ideal city car, I have also noticed quite a few differences compared with the US version. As per the dealers info, TOYOTA in Japan decides which PRIUS's versions sell better in which countries. Here some obvious differences (which in my opinion come to my disadvantage, your PRIUS in the US comes with higher specs):
- no bluetooth
- no foglights
- only dark grey leather version
for full specs of the Hong KOng version see the following Toyota website:
http://www.toyota.com.hk/showroom/prius2003/specs.html
just wanted to share this with you, yet still very enthusiatic abt receiving my PRIUS next wed!
I will certainly continue reading all (most) of your posts)

bluebot

 

[DanMan32]

You're not missing much not having fog lights. Even being 50W each, they don't put out much light.

 

[David Beale]

It was always my understanding that the "local" Toyota distributors (not the dealers - Toyota Hong Kong) decided what equipment would be imported in the cars they were to sell in their respective countries. It may be that Hong Kong isn't a big enough market to have their own importer so in that case it would be Toyota Japan. In the US it's Toyota US who orders from Toyota Corporate (Japan) what will be sold there. Curiously, in Canada it's still Toyota US who decides. We're a backwater to the US.

The reason this is done is there are cultural differences all over the world, and only the local people will understand those differences best, so should know what the locals will want in the car. Yes, even they don't always get it right, but it's the best they can do.

 

[blubot]

thanks

thanks 2 u both for yr comments.
You are right Danman, not missing much on the foglights, but bluetooth is a setback considering the usually high tech place Hong Kong, where mobile penetration has well exceeded 100% of the population more than a year ago (about 3 in ten have more than one mobile phone)
And yes David you are right, I actually meant "local" Toyota distributor, CROWN MOTORS LIMITED, a subsidiary of Inchcape & Co. (now Inchcape Greater China) which started its business in Hong Kong in 1966...yet they told me that it is JAPAN that decides which models are supposed to be sold in Hong Kong...strange enough for me. Hong Kong is surely not a big enough market for the PRIUS as people tend to favour LEXUS particulary top ended models LS460 and the likes...for your info a total of 400 units of PRIUS were sold here in 2006.
Anyhow thanks for all your comments.

 

[Tideland Prius]

well, at least you get 16" alloys and 4-wheel disc brakes.