Hybrids and Fuel Economic Cars

Auto Industry Short-Sightedness

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Last week, MSNBC asked me onto its network to discuss fuel prices and the Smart way to buy a vehicle in this rapidly changing environment. So you can imagine my shock when one of the first questions was if I thought a brief one-cent drop in the average national price per gallon would put drivers back at ease.

This typically short-sighted view is a big reason why we all ended up in this mess in the first place. Manufacturers at the start of this decade continued to follow a short-sighted marketplace that supported the "bigger is better" philosophy, and in order to support sales, justified purchases with employee discount programs and other aggressive incentive programs.

Toyota Estima Concept Hybrid Minivan

Now we are on the verge of $4.00+ per gallon of gas and a broader agreement that the environment is suffering, and the pickings for truly environmentally and economically sound vehicles are still a bit too thin for most consumer's tastes. Hybrids occupy a strong and valid place in this new market, but perhaps they are not for all. The stigma of the "economy car" will fade when more people get behind the wheel of the 2007 versions from Chevy, Toyota, Honda, Kia, etc. and discover just how refined such a car has become.

But until then, we need vehicles without size or power compromises that can equally protect our wallets and the air. The first manufacturer that cracks this code will rule the road for decades to come.

Posted on 2007-06-04 | Permalink | |

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