Re: CNET: What's the problem with hybrid cars?
Not enough Prii are being manufactured. There's never any on the lots and people are having to wait while their car is shipped from Japan. Toyota dealerships have a mandate to sell the high-profit vehicles and that does not include hybrids because of the technology in them. I think a lot more could be sold if they would put the brakes on their conventional cars and focus on the hybrids and EVs, but they won't because they are a corporation, and as such they have a mandate to turn the biggest profit they can in any given quarter. People will want more efficient vehicles as the price of energy rises, and that's the only thing that's gonna motivate people to go for something more efficient than what they drive now. But right now demand is far outstripping production, there are never any discounts on them and you'll be lucky if there's a new Prius available at a dealership. There will certainly be many more on the road if there were dealership yards filled with them in every imaginable trim so people would be much more tempted to grab one.
Besides, when most people buy a hybrid and sell off their old car, that old car is still on the road, not scrapped immediately, so the percent of hybrids vs normal vehicles will take a long time to change.
What's their problem with the reality of hybrids not being as profitable as conventional cars, and not being around for very long? I suppose they just wanted to be "fair and balanced" in their reporting on the hybrid market, too bad they forgot to put any thought into it.
Last edited by Schwa : 05-31-2005 at 01:23 AM.
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