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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Toyota is missing a good opportunity here to cement “Prius” as the dominant gas-electric brand for the next decade or two. (http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/shifting-gears/2009/09/21/why-prius-should-not-equal-hybrid)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Toyota_Prius-III1.jpgMatthew DeBord - THEBIGMONEY (http://www.thebigmoney.com) - Sept 21, 2009

He is suggesting attaching weaker links with the Prius is akin to a GM nameplate --Ed.

It’s not hard to understand why Toyota would want to get rid of an unwieldy term like “hybrid synergy drive” (the company’s name for its hybrid drivetrains) and replace it with something that’s synonymous with hybrid propulsion: Prius. At an event in Las Vegas, Toyota recently announced that it want to do just that: use “Prius” as a branded term for “hybrid.” Thus, you could see a Camry Prius, or a Highlander Prius. Yes, that’s what I thought—it’s a terrible idea.

For whatever reason, Toyota has started to experience some serious growing pains after it ascending to the lofty rank of worldwide number one automaker. There have been recalls, lawsuits, and a first-ever loss posting. This latest move comes about a year after Toyota indicated that it might turn “Prius” into an independent division, adding a fourth, hybrid-specfic nameplate to a corporate roster that’s now made up of Toyota, Lexus, and Scion. That idea was dropped, but now it’s crept back.... http://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/shifting-gears/2009/09/21/why-prius-should-not-equal-hybrid

I'd have to agree, the Prius is an iconic automobile in its own right, and prefixing its name to other its other hybrid vehicles' names ("Prius Camry", "Prius Highlander" etc.) is just going to create confusion in the marketplace.

Toyota has done this before -- anyone else remember the "Corolla Tercel"? Toyota already had the wildly popular Corolla, and when they introduced a smaller subcompact in the early 80s they decided to draft off Corolla's name recognition by calling the new car the Toyota "Corolla Tercel." After a few years they dropped the word "Corolla" and finally just called it the Tercel. They also did this with the Supra, initially calling it the "Celica Supra" even though it had little in common with the regular Celica. Honda did something similar with the "Civic CRX" and the first 3 years of the "Civic Del Sol", both of which eventually had "Civic" dropped from their names.

It's one thing to have a single model ride another's coattails for a few years after its introduction, as Toyota has done before. But to attempt to do this across the line would be a disaster. Also, let's not forget that the image of the Prius isn't 100% positive. I'm betting a lot of buyers of Camry Hybrids (which cost more, use considerably more fuel and aren't much more practical than the Prius) bought their car specifically because it's not a Prius.

Toyota has done this before -- anyone else remember the "Corolla Tercel"?
They also did this with the Supra, initially calling it the "Celica Supra" even though it had little in common with the regular Celica.
Honda did something similar with the "Civic CRX" and the first 3 years of the "Civic Del Sol", both of which eventually had "Civic" dropped from their names.

...And the Solara was originally the Camry Solara, too. And Honda is about to do it again with the Crosstour, calling it an Accord Crosstour.
There are a few reasons why some automakers do this. For structurally similar models, it is cheaper to introduce something new by sneaking it in under an existing nameplate to make the car cheaper to certify when the feds want their eleventy jillion dollars and three tons of paper to make it legal to sell in the US. Another reason is to allow some slower selling models to be lumped in with more popular models to increase the apparent sales of the blockbuster car and not end up with a slow seller showing very low volume.

And my favorite "one name for many cars" example hails from the late '80s, when GM's Oldsmobile division was slapping the word "Cutlass" on just about everything they sold. You could walk into a dealer and buy a Cutlass Calais (N body) coupe or sedan, a Cutlass Ciera (A body) coupe, sedan or wagon, a Cutlass Supreme (W body) coupe or sedan, and a Cutlass Supreme Classic (rear drive G body) coupe. For a couple of years, you could buy four new Cutlass automobiles and have four completely different cars with the same name. They sold only three other models - the 88, 98, and Toronado - so more than half their lineup had a single name.

I don't think Toyota would dilute the Prius name by making the same mistake.

Ahh, the Cutlass name. Yep, I remember the Cutlass Calais/Ciera/Supreme/Supreme Classic cluster.