I'm not quite sure what to think of this.
http://news.yahoo.com/edcartoons/hen...uNOcCV468VvTYC

Hi Larry,

That cartoon is dead on for what is sometimes called "Greenwashing." This is the practice of giving the illusion of "Green" and in this case by spending a huge amount of money instead of doing something effective. But it also explains the Verza we saw at the Georgetown KY tour and at the time, I thought, "Are you nuts?"

Here was this large, Toyota cross-over SUV being made at the same plant as Camry hybrids. Gas had just dropped barely under $3/gal and someone decided Toyota needed to make a big, gas hog. Then today, I learned about the Cadillac Provoq:

I've resized the images so the front and rear bumper are to scale. I'm sorry but it looks like another case of parallel evolution, nearly identical body styles and neither appeals to me and I'm not environmentally green. I'm frugally green as in not wasting my dollars.

This is the description of the Cadillac Provoq:

Specifications
Vehicle type:four-door crossover
Wheelbase (in / mm):114.4 / 2906
Length (in / mm):180.3 / 4580
Width (in / mm):72.8 / 1850
Height (in / mm):67 / 1703
Track (in / mm):64.5 / 1639 (front and rear)
Powertrain:88 kW fuel cell w/ co-axial electric front drive; independent rear wheel motors
Suspension:four-wheel independent; MacPherson-strut (front), multi-link (rear)
Brakes:four-wheel disc; brake-by-wire; regenerative electric
Wheels:21-inch x 6.5-inch aluminum
Tires:205/60R21 Michelin Green X energy-saving

Concept vehicle shown. Not available for sale.

This ranks right up there with $50-60,000, two-mode hybrids sold at the astounding rate of less than 1,000 per month. In the meanwhile, Prius are sold at over 10,000 per month. So I look at the cartoon as wiping off some of the GM "greenwash."

No I don't see this cartoon as "reverse hybrid bashing" as much as pointing out GM's love of big ticket, monster trucks and the two-mode as big-ticket 'eye candy.' GM's hybrid electrics are seen as (or certainly today presented as) terribly expensive, sales options for their top of the line vehicles. It ranks right up there with the brilliant decision to fly three private jets to Washington to ask for $25 B. bailout loan. Couldn't they have at least "jet-pooled?"

Bob Wilson

After April 3, use e-mail to contact me:

Of course that cartoon is a criticism of "green washing", and of Cadillac. The huge 2-mode "hybrid" monsters that GM is advertising recently really are ridiculous.

Look at it from GM's perspective. GM ignored fuel efficiency for more than a decade. Then, when they price of fuel spiked, they were caught flat-footed and unprepared. When you are caught flat-footed, and you realize you have to do something immediately, what do you do? You just do the best you can. About the only thing GM could do this year was to add some equipment to a product they already produce. They just didn't have time to design a whole new vehicle. So they bolted "hybrid" onto whatever chassis they already had that could carry the extra weight.

From a third perspective, consider the fuel savings. A 30 percent fuel-usage reduction from a vehicle that already gets 30 mpg, and drives 15K/year, will only save 150 gallons per year. A 30 percent fuel-usage reduction from a vehicle that gets 10 mpg, for the same distance, will save 450 gallons per year. If you are going to make an incremental improvement to a system, it makes sense to do it to the least-efficient part of the system.


But, no matter what happens, there will be a next truck. Trucks do serve a purpose and are actually needed. You just can't carry a refrigerator or a pallet of bricks in the back of a sedan. The price of fuel will be part of the economic calculation that goes into deciding when to replace them and which model to buy, but there will always be a need for trucks.

I thought it was funny.

With GM and Chrysler's (and Lexus and Honda Accord) hybrids out there, it's important to make the distinction between hybrids built for fuel efficiency (as well as small cars that are bought for the same reason) and the hybrids built for luxury or for for power.

A hybrid doesn't mean green and green doesn't mean hybrid.

Hybrid Review

I just thought it was a parody of a Cadillac Escalade (hybrid) still being huge and burning too much gas versus a small efficient car like a SmartForTwo (non hybrid).

It just shows that all hybrids are not gas misers and not all regular cars are gas hogs...

And it WAS funny…..

Trucks and even Tahoes have their place. Work crews and the commercial vehicle world. However, I suspect most Tahoes are serving as one-parent/one-kid transporters, or one person commuter vehicles.

Chevy Volt or Focus EV?

Decisions, decisions.

Big SUV Hybrids are a great idea, actually. Hybrid engines allow you to go bigger for less. And big SUV hybrids make a bigger dent in gallons per mile than smaller cars that are already getting good fuel economy.

But, unfortunately for GM, Chrysler et al, the people who are interested in fuel economy want the best fuel economy and are willing to go smaller. So, cars like the Prius do very well, while the hybrid SUVs will not.

As for work or commercial crews, the hybrid SUVs may seem like a good sell to them, but they're going to look at the initial price tag and then walk away.

Hybrid Review

Mike,

If GM would try to sell them as work trucks, I think they would do well. Idiots that they are however, most work trucks that I know of do NOT come with DVD players, 12 speaker sound systems, leather interiors or any of the other useless (to a work truck) options. In the field we prefer a truck we can "hose out" to get rid of the mud and we don't need to worry about getting the carpet or seats dirty. That means rubber mats and vinyl seats. If we are lucky, it will have a radio...

Give american companies a hybrid work truck, price it $2,500 to $3,000 or so more than a standard stripped down truck, show them the mileage gain and savings and they WILL buy one. You could at least keep some workers busy and sell some vehicles.

I totally agree with that.

The problem is the $2,500 to $3,000 price difference. That's not going to happen because it (I'm guessing here, but it's an informed guess) costs them (And I mean GM... Honda and Toyota have passed the point where it costs them less to build a hybrid) at least $5,000 to put in the hybrid engine and battery pack.

And since they know they have to charge more for it anyways, they put in all the luxury items to entice (make money off of) the buyer, which ups the pricetag.

The Silverado starts out at $27,000 (or so), while the hybrid is coming in at $39,000. So, it looks like GM is not targeting the working man.

Hybrid Review

GM may be tring to be green with very little secess. Sales figures are not reflecting it anyway. I think maybe they should get serious about it! H