Re: Toyota's green image is suddenly black-and-blue
- From: "dh" <dh@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:44:48 -0600
"C. E. White" <cewhite3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:475d2e90$1@xxxxxxxxxxx
Toyota's green image is suddenly black-and-blue
Mark Rechtin
Automotive News
December 10, 2007 - 12:01 am ET
[chop]
Meanwhile, Toyota's competitors, especially GM, have been pushing their
own green credentials hard - and tweaking Toyota along the way.
The Chevrolet Tahoe Two Mode Hybrid has nine decals and badges proclaiming
its hybrid status - including a strip of decals 3 inches high running
along the sides of the hulking SUV.
You know, it's funny... one of the things that causes people to get all
wrought up about the Prius is the "lookitme" greenness of it - because it's
a unique shape. However, this shape gives the Prius a real practical
advantage; a Cx far lower than most other cars.
And GM is going at the "lookitme" aspect of the hybrid with badging and
decals. But a trucklike Cx. It is to laugh.
[snip]
And GM is boasting that the publication Green Car Journal named the Tahoe
Two Mode Hybrid its "Green Car of the Year" at the Los Angeles auto show.
The automaker neglected to mention that no Toyota vehicles were eligible
this year because they had won the award in the past.
[snicker]
Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore., said
GM's tactics are smart.
"Hybrids are a revenue godsend," Spinella says. "They raise the average
MSRP, raise the average transaction price, can potentially raise or at
least add profits. Everyone wants a lick from this particular frog."
Isn't CNW the group that proved a Prius had a higher energy cost than a
Hummer, in part because they assumed the life of a Prius was only 100K miles
and the life of a Hummer was 300K miles? Not to mention a few other
assumptions that also stacked the deck.
Why is CNW the "Automotive News" go-to talking head for this sort of thing?
Still short of Priuses
"Our hybrid intention numbers continue to rise," he says. "We still can't
build enough Priuses. We're at 16 days' supply, but we'll be back into
single digits by month's end."
It seems the market has a voice. I wonder how many Yukaburbahoe hybrids GM
will sell in the next 12 months, as Toyota sells 300K or so Priuses and a
lesser number of Camry hybrids and Highlander hybrids?
And, lest we forget, any "green" attached to GM comes from their aggressive
hype of e-85 capability, which boosts their federal fuel economy numbers
ridiculously, in spite of the fact that few Yukaburbahoes will ever find
their was to an e-85 pump. Never mind the questionable enhancement to our
energy use profile from current ethanol production and let's just walk right
on by what e-85 is doing to food prices.
Well, I'm being slightly unfair to the General. They do have a set of mild
hybrids on the market which can, under the right circumstances, reduce fuel
consumption... a bit. I was going to say "significantly" but that's really
not proven. With some adjustment, they could probably do better. However,
the market seems to be ignoring them altogether, so it hardly matters.
.
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