The Prius is number 16 on the top selling list through June.
There's an article making the rounds today on how CNW Marketing has another study showing a majority of Prius drivers are buying the Prius just to make a statement (just like the politicians and entertainers do).
Reasons for buying a Prius:
- Makes a statement about me: 57%
- Other, including incentives, business, etc.: 42%
- Higher fuel economy: 36%
- Distinctive styling: 33%
- Lower Emissions: 25%
- New technology: 7%
No, I'm not surprised to see 'statement' as a top reason for buying a Prius. Too many of our leaders are doing it for it not be picked up on. We all know what hybrid cars the candidates are driving (or not driving). And we all know which movie stars care enough to be seen in a hybrid on the red carpet and which don't. And now, even the Israeli envoys are being required to drive hybrid cars as a matter of policy.
And of course, we all know what Al Gore wants you to drive.
Given that type of attention, it's not surprising to see all the headlines this morning screaming out at us about how Al Gore's son was busted for drugs while driving 100 mph in a hybrid (Prius).
It's funny what the pundits are emphasizing with these headlines. 1) He was driving 100 mph, as if that should be surprising given he was driving a hybrid. Don't all hybrid drivers drive 45 in the right hand lane? 2) No matter what, reporters and pundits were going to ask what kind of car he was driving because he was Al Gore's son. And 3) I wonder if the same pundits, if they could have, would have dropped the whole drug thing out of the headlines.
Which brings me to my next point. Are you surprised when you see a Prius pass you in the left hand lane on the highway? You really shouldn't be. Given how many are sold these days you have to realize that just because a majority choose a hybrid to make a statement doesn't mean they want to drive slowly.
So there are good people and bad people who drive hybrid these days. The days when you could look at a Prius and tell right away what type of person he/she is over with. And perhaps thats what we should be getting out of these headlines on Al's son. Hybrid drivers are not necessarily smug. Nor are they all hypermilers going for that last ounce of gas. They are good, they are bad. They have borrowed the car to see what it can do. Maybe, just maybe, they do like the way it looks.
Who knows?
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2 comments:
YOU CAN'T GET HYBREDS FIXED ANYWHERE THERE IS NOT A DEALER, BETTER BUY A GOLF CART, ATV, OR A GATOR. DON'T TAKE A HYBRED TO THE OUTBACK OF THE U.S. OR MEXICO, YOUR OUT OF LUCK IF I HAS TO BE FIXED!
While there are parts of a hybrid that you would probably need a dealership to fix, I wouldn't worry about that too much. But then, I'm not in the outback of the US or in Mexico.
Most repairs a hybrid would need are related to the more conventional parts of a car. You wouldn't need a specialized mechanic for those.
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