In a way that is true of
In a way that is true of every totally new car if one factors in design and development and initial advertising. The Prius was a completely new vehicle when it was launched. Other than the low volume Lexus CT 200h that came in the third generation, there was nothing else that shared much with the Prius. The Fiat 500e and the RAV4 EV are different. In their ICE configurations they are both mature, high volume vehicles. However, when the electric drivetrain is added the cost literally doubles. The argument that "economies of scale" will bring the cost of a car down by 50% is not really valid. Even with the current taxpayer subsidies (arguably about $15,000 per car when ZEV credits are counted) these two cars cannot succeed at a break-even level for either manufacturer.