I am glad we have this thread. Please let's stay objective about the car so we can study it. I dearly hope it doesn't take off... the car is not a green solution (if "green" means lowering the amount of carbon put back into the atmosphere, which I think it does). Perhaps it will sell via some other reasons that "trick" the consumer.
The car isn't particularly impressive from a performance standpoint so people won't be buying it for that, will they? Torquey at low revs for example?
Is the Fuel Cell Engine any quieter than a gasoline engine? Will the Mirai be inately quiet by virtue of its design? I do not think so.
From an interior luxury standpoint, does the car really compete with anything else at the $57,000+ level? Let's say, Mercedes E-Class which starts at $51,800.
Is the crash safety particularly better than cars of the same price point? Hard to say, but it has a lot of internal machinery which can't help crumple zones.
It looks a bit better than a Honda Fit type of car. But it does not look as good as any other car in the $57,000 bracket.
Are Toyota giving the fuel away for free? (Well, of course, they are right now, but we know it's not going to continue)
What is the carbon footprint of the Mirai? Does its design show simplicity in manufacturing and is the fuel delivery process carbon free, or heading towards that?
So sure, the common response will be "it is this expensive 'cos it has new tech in it, and the people who'll buy it initially are early adopters who know all about the tech and that represents a value for them, so the car doesn't have to compete on the other usual factors - same as Tesla Model S!!!"
Fact is, the Tesla Model S has looks that would be perfectly respectable on a gasoline car. But it also has levels of interior space, interior and exterior noise levels, handling, crash safety, drivetrain smoothness and performance, and UI software/systems management that are either very keen or outright groundbreaking, and in combination in the same car - definitely warranting a $70,000 starting price. And the fuel is free, as long as you don't mind waiting for Tesla to install Superchargers as fast as they possibly can (and have done about 275 in just over 2 years). The carbon footprint (including manufacturing) is zero - after you drive it for 10,000 miles and are getting your power from renewables. So the Tesla Model S actually does compete with other cars on various mundane things and matches or beats them - and carries out its raison d'etre of being a green car.
I think the Mirai is destined to be Toyota's "proof" that hydrogen cars are not the way to go... they wanted to go the complete distance in order to let it be transparent to all onlookers that buyers do not want FCV... they want BEVs instead. Toyota has the financial pockets to withstand this episode and emerge as a powerful player in the EV business, but Tesla, BMW et. al may leave them at the standards-setting station along with several other manufacturers who are simply sitting on their hands waiting for EVs to go away.
