Imagine paying just $11,800 for a nearly new 2019 Toyota. Quite a bargain, you might say. But what model might it be? of a Corolla? It would be the deal of the century, unless it displays 200,000 km on the odometer. of a Yaris? Certainly not, since they currently sell for more than when new! So, from one Prius C? Impossible, a 2013 or 2014 model still sells for that price.
However, a 2019 Toyota with only 2,000 km on the clock was indeed sold at this price, just a few weeks ago, at auction. This model is a Mirai. A hydrogen car whose value in 2019 hovered around $75,000, but which – for obvious reasons – simply does not find a buyer in Quebec.
In fact, for the past few weeks, there’s been a handful of Toyota Mirai’s passing through the Adesa Auction’s auction line. Cars that had been sold to companies or individuals, sometimes even bought by a Toyota dealership, and which today are probably in the loss column of the accounting books. Because the leases are for term or because we want to get rid of them, they are therefore sent to auction.
The first bids made on these cars – which sometimes only showed a few hundred kilometers on the odometer – climbed to just over $20,000. However, because the auctioneer failed to point out that it was a hydrogen vehicle, some buyers thought it was a traditional hybrid. Some of the transactions were thus cancelled. Worse still, a buyer even drove the car around the Montreal area until it ran out of fuel, not knowing where to fill up with hydrogen, before finally sending it back to the auction. … in a tow truck!
For the uninitiated, you should know that only one station allowing the public to refuel is currently in place in the province. And it is located in Quebec, in a Harnois gas station. An announcement had also been made at the Montreal Auto Show held in January 2019, when this station was regarding to be inaugurated (it was in October 2019). Toyota took the opportunity to announce that the Government of Quebec was acquiring 50 Toyota Mirais that would be used by various departments and employees. Vehicles managed by the CGER (Rolling Equipment Management Center) and which, for the most part, are parked 99.9% of the time, today displaying a very low mileage. Another government expense that is more of a political gesture than a real need…
Rented by the Government, these cars should logically also come to an end shortly. We can thus imagine that fifty Toyota Mirai will end up at auction, obviously without buyers. Unless, of course, they are exported to California where it is possible to refuel, or even new hydrogen stations are set up in La Belle Province. A factor that might weigh in the balance, although the fuel efficiency of these cars is not so economical. Indeed, a Mirai roughly consumes 1 kg of hydrogen per 100 km, this kilo being sold this week at $17.30 at Harnois. It therefore costs regarding the same as with a gas-powered RAV4 consuming 8.5 L/100 km at $2 per litre.
yet oyota continues to believe in the hydrogen car. A new generation of the Mirai has recently been offered to the public, taking on a much more enticing line than the first. However, without infrastructure, without financial advantage, and knowing moreover that the Government above all prioritizes the transition to the electric car, it is difficult to believe in a promising future for the hydrogen car.
So don’t be surprised if, in fact, a used vehicle dealer bought a 2019 model for only $11,800. A derisory bill compared to the quality of the product, but which perfectly illustrates the principle of supply and demand.
Will we soon see this car at a used car dealership for regarding double the price? Possible, but people still have to be interested. At the moment, there are three 2019 Mirai for sale in Quebec (reference Otogo.ca) between $26,390 and $28,490, with mileage ranging from 49 to 7,400 km. And if the 50 Government cars were to suddenly end up in our market, imagine how much the value of the Mirai would drop!
