If the MSNBC "Business Editor" says it true, it MUST be true.
With gas prices down, the phasing out of tax incentives, the Hybrids are doomed.
Read it and weep:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16152366/

Unfortunately, the American collective has a short memory so the article is not totally without merit.

 

He brings up the hybrid Accord - the weak link. What about the Civic or Prius? Did he mention that all car sales are down from a year ago?

 

Of course the Accord is the perfect example to be representative of most hybrid cars sold. It's at least 60% of the market, right?

Sarcasm aside, it's amazing how citing facts actually promotes misinformation.

 

“Some think a hybrid will get the stated EPA mileage returns of 50 or 60 miles per gallon all the time,” Rosten said. “But if you are using the hybrid on the highway you are using the gas engine, and cars like the Prius are much better-suited for around town driving in gridlock — they are not meant to be long-distance driving cars.”

WHAT???

 

I get better MPG on the open road than I do in stop and go traffic.

 

I also get better mpg, on the road, than in stop and go.
If, you have noticed, the price of gas is creeping up. It won't be long, before prices jump higher, and the short memory public will wake up.
Anything that comes from MSNBC, I take "with a grain of salt".

 

Just for grins I did a web search of Prius and TCH inventories at "my" dealer.
Usually they show zero to two if each.
Today there are nine TCH's and seven Prius's.
Both NAV and base models of both.
Unheard of two months ago.

 

As others have mentioned, the TCH gets better mileage on the highway than in town. However, I have been amazed that my mileage sometimes goes up during the hour or so I'm in rush hour traffic on my way home. The traffic is what I would call "slow and go" as it rarely stops completely. Rather it often slows to under 20mph with congestion periodically slowing things to ~5mph. I find I can P&G and still keep a reasonable following distance. During the week I have no problems keeping the low to mid 40mpg range.

It is the weekends that are tough. Shorter trips and city driving often drop my tank average by 2 or 3 mpg.

MSNBC tries to compare months that normally have a decline in sales and say the drop is news.... Some interesting numbers Toyota car sales dropped by ~24% comparing August to November sales (144K vs 109K sold, yet are up from 2005.) For the same months, Prius sales dipped ~28% and TCH dipped ~37%. So yes hybrid sales are off some, but nothing like the MSNBC article indicates.

 

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx...fx3257945.html

MSNBC......Nevermind

 

White elephant?
"Who killed the electric car?", now that was a depressing DVD. I couple of years ago I tried to buy an EV rav. It was on their website and it fit my commute and local driving desires perfectly. I was told by Toyota dealer that there were none available in all of California. Last night I watched a DVD, where brand new EV were crushed and shredded for lack of consumer interest. What?! Yep, GM, Toyota, & Honda all did it.
Makes you suspicious of any company.