Hi,
Quote:
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Originally Posted by CNW_BS
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the main reason they purchased the car was that "it makes a statement about me."
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The implication is we didn't choose the car because it was the best value for the buck (it is for those driving my miles) or the future of personal transportation in an energy starved world. The implication is we chose our hybrids like folks might chose jewelry or a pair of shoes.
This "style" statement is behind CNW Marketing claiming our Prius get few miles per year than other cars. Yet Doug has already surveyed Ebay used auto sales and demonstrated that is not the case. But this lame claim suggests to the consumers of CNW's BS that 'once the fad passes, everyone will go back to buying ordinary cars.' The implication is they just need to find the right "style" or design in a gas-only car and hybrid will disappear. Another contribution to "famous last words."
To me, it is an insult but I think the real target are those who continue to buy gas-only cars. They are trying to find someway to justify staying with existing gas-only cars. Those who quote CNW Marketing are grasping at straws, anything to avoid saying what is abundantly clear:
HYBRIDS WORK!
The only statement I make with my Prius is the vanity license plate:
C-52MPG
BTW, to a greater or lessor extent, I like the other hybrids but realize when you design a hybrid from the ground up, a lot of legacy aspects of existing gas-only cars need to go away! For example, cabin heating and cooling needs to be redesigned from the ground up.
With a gas-only vehicle, they are so inefficient that tapping the engine coolant for heat is no performance penalty. But that is not the case with our hybrids. We need to preserve every bit of waste heat and in particular, start mining the exhaust pipe. It also makes sense to use an electric compressor for the AC instead of turning the engine over. That engine should ONLY turn over to recharge the batteries or meet power demands beyond the current battery/motor demand. This is what I mean by a purpose built hybrid. I don't care what the shell looks like as long as it is efficient and safe.
I applaud Toyota building purpose built hybrids. It shows a commitment to performance that like the air-intake vent of T-bird or other functional performance structures and machines, means the engineers are getting permission to expand the envelope.
Bob Wilson