Hmmm...I wonder why all the majors are vying to get hybrids to market. Is it to get a piece of that 1% marketshare? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Different source...different perspective. Hey...enjoying the hybrid forums? Glad to see you sticking around. Maybe one day we'll see a hybrid Liberty. Hopefully not as woefully troublesome as the diesel version.
Since we have new visitors, it may be useful to repost important items from time to time. What really bothers me is when people cross post the same story to other threads. Glad to see you're enjoying my posts!! When you gonna trash that gas guzzler????
Talk about a Green . You can buy a Jetta Desiel and not have to worry about your battries going dead !!! Plus the techknowlege will not be outdated in 6 months .
Reliability ??? I have seen and drove Desiel Jetta's above 250,000 that ran just as well if not better than new . CR has not allways been accurate . Esspecaly with there apperent hate of VW !!!! I have always had a VW and they have always been reliable .
This story was discussed here two weeks ago. The Canton, OH story as you can see is a verbatim transcript of a LA Times story that ran on 10-23. It's conclusion is correct.. 'put your calculators away..' there are other reasons than money to buy a Prius or HCH.
The foremost one for me is that it helps keep money out of the hands of the ayatollahs and saudi princes. You may be in favor of doing that but I'm not.
"I have seen and drove Diesel Jetta's above 250,000 that ran just as well if not better than new . CR has not always been accurate . Especially with there apparent hate of VW !!!! I have always had a VW and they have always been reliable"
Forget CR if you like, but you can not dispute the fact of poor VW reliability, just google "VW reliability" and get an endless sea of troubles and woe, from windows falling out, fires and steering parts falling off to name a few.
Used car listings are a good sign of reliability and there just isn't many diesels over the 100K mile mark.
Saving money with a hybrid- I chose to dissolve any premium paid within the first year, and I did. Now all I do is save at the pump. Your diesels ~40MPG is good mileage. But diesel fuel is drastically more expensive and they don't exceed 900 mile tanks like my own gasoline hybrid car does.
Well then who IS buying all of them so that there is none to be had? The ones I mentioned previously see the value of the Prius and can afford to buy it and pay for the upscale featuresWhat upscale features?
Aloha from Hawaii. I don't think the Prius is a big seller here. I have driven past the Toyota dealer several times and they have a new Prius sitting out front. I don't think it has moved. I may go by for a test drive tomorrow. What is amazing is the price of gas here is about the same as CA $2.779 per gallon. It is usually a lot more expensive.
PS No way you can compare a Passat to a Prius. Only in a Prius drivers dreams. Jetta TDI is a better comparo. The Jetta TDI wagon is popular here in Hawaii with the Hollywood transplants. They are all using biodiesel. That is truly "green" not pale hybrid green.
Mahalo for you post! Hope you're enjoying the nice fresh air in Hawaii care of the trade winds. Hopefully you're not having Kona winds!
Anyway...as you all know the TDIs are not sold in many "green" states for a reason. They spew out noxious fumes. Diesels do have a place in our country. In rigs transporting goods from one side of the continent to the other. Once we have "clean diesels" then I'd be interested. As to a Prius vs a TDI. If you like vibration and harshness, then the TDI is for you. Idling in a TDI is like sitting in those vibrating beds at Brookstone. Idling in a Prius? Sheer bliss.
They're loving hybrids in Fiji too!!! Gotta love it!!
An industry newsletter reports that Toyota may be reconsidering its “no plug-in” mantra and be developing plug-in hybrids for the US, although the company still remains concerned about battery limitations.
A Toyota presentation at the Tokyo Motor Show outlined the benefits of plug-ins, according to the story in Inside Fuels and Vehicles.
The presentation concludes that plug-ins would perform as well or better than other motor vehicle technology—including regular battery-electric hybrids, all-electric vehicles and even fuel cell vehicles (if the hydrogen is obtained from natural gas)—in five criteria under assessment:
1.
Well-to-wheels carbon dioxide emissions; 2.
Emissions of criteria pollutants; 3.
Refueling infrastructure; 4.
Driving range; and 5.
Fuel diversity.
The report suggests that Toyota may partner with Pacific Gas & Electric on the battery component, an approach not without precedent. Mitsubishi, for example, is working with Tokyo Electric on batteries and a recharging system for its new electric vehicle.
Rather than just posting a link to a news item, how about a little commentary from YOU about what it is you want to discuss about the new item? After all, it's the discussion between users that the forums are all about, not dueling news clips!
So if you have a news item to share, get us talking about the aspect of it that you find interesting. If it blossoms into something that can really would be better discussed in more detail in one of our existing topics, we can move over there and continue.
Let's kind of keep this topic as kind of a "highlight reel" where we touch on the latest news.
Toyota suspends Prius fleet sales in U.S. due to consumer demand
Torrance, California – Toyota Motor Sales has temporarily suspended sales of its 2006 Prius gasoline/electric hybrid to government and rental fleets in the U.S., and is cancelling existing fleet order agreements, due to low inventories and an anticipated surge in retail consumer demand.
The company is advising that availability will remain limited for commercial fleet buyers and that delivery times may be in excess of six months. The recent passage of the U.S. Federal Highway Bill, which permits retail tax credits and HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane eligibility for hybrid vehicles, has prompted the company to expect an increase in retail demand. Toyota will restore fleet availability once production volumes are sufficient to meet both retail and fleet order demand.
Nov 1... Honda offers $1200 incentive on HAH due to flagging sales.
Thanks... I read that yesterday. Hard to imagine they still can't keep up with the demand EVEN with gas prices dropping. This tells me that people are not only buying the Prius with FE on their mind. They also know it's a good value with tons of content.
Went and saw the movie "In Her Shoes" with the wife last week. The fiance in the movie was driving a Prius. Hollywood is definitely trying to promote hybrids.
Saw NCIS last week. Hollywood is definitely trying to promote Dodge Chargers. Then I watched CSI:Miami... I wonder how much GM pays Horatio to drive around in that Hummer?????
Hollywood is definitely trying to promote hybrids.
The Hollywood crowd was among the first to get hybrid cars with the first-generation Prius way back in 2001. Both Leonardo di Caprio and Cameron Diaz are among the earliest Prius owners around, if I remember.
I actually thought the increase was going to be about $1000 considering the demand and potential rebate. Guess they dont wanna kill the goose so to speak.
I thought we discussed this topic to death yesterday.
Did you not say many of your customers buy a Prius not to replace luxury cars but to drive it as a second car?
Your description above describes the Prius quite well, but unfortunately does not describe a Passat at all!
Many people who buy a Passat are former luxury car owners who want to replace their luxury cars with a VW. Unlike the Prius, most are not buying a Passat as a second car!
The fact that most people buy a Passat and a Prius for different reasons is in itself proof that both a Prius and a Passat are not comparable.
In fact Intellichoice compared a Prius with a Malibu!
Maybe Intellichoice's use of such a comparison is an intelligent choice! Certainly a better choice than a Passat.
In fact IMO I dont even think a Prius can compete with a VW Jetta TDI!
What Makes A Hybrid Hot? Buyers seem to prefer ones that feel, um, weird to drive
With gas sky-high, hybrids should be red hot. Well, yes and no. While the Toyota Prius sells in eight days, the Honda Accord hybrid takes some two months -- just shy of the industry average -- to exit the lot, says J.D. Power & Associates Inc. The Civic hybrid is no Prius, either; it takes 36 days to move.
It doesn't help any of the hybrid makers that fuel consumption fails to match what's advertised
So is Businessweek not a credible news source or are they anti-hyrbrid crusaders with a hidden agenda to dismantle Toyota and Honda's hybrid endeavors? :P
3 to 1 in my favor in terms of articles claiming that EPA is bogus for hybrids!
Refer to Gagrice's businsessweek link post #3708 above.
It appears gas savings are not a major issue for hybrid drivers since hybrids do not achieve great gas saving as claimed by EPA.
The main selling point for a Prius is its weird and new feeling!
I think it is amazing that the VW TDI is so popular without providing the weird feeling of a Prius! That in itself is a tesatment of the superiority of a VW TDI over a Toyota Prius.
Just last night they had a piece on 20/20 about this same topic. They touted that CR ONLY got 44 mpg with the Prius. In the same piece they said CR got 11 MPG in city driving with the Liberty CRD diesel. WOW... that's HALF of EPA. They even interviewed some lady from the EPA that said the numbers are half baked (not in those word though). I am very happy that I can easily get 50 MPG with a Prius. Gotta love it!!!!
Weren't we just talking about Priuses and police departments last week?
Clearwater police quietly introduce hybrid sedans Several city departments will be trading in their gas guzzlers for environmentally, and financially, friendly vehicles. By AARON SHAROCKMAN Published November 7, 2005
CLEARWATER - When the police chief rolled onto a burglary scene in a car resembling a white cocoon, no one recognized him. Not the crooks.
Not even the cops.
As governments search for ways to appear "green friendly" while potentially saving money for taxpayers, many are turning to hybrid vehicles that consume less fuel.
Police Chief Sid Klein caught everyone off guard by driving his white Toyota Prius to the scene of a break-in last year.
"I thought I could sneak up on them with my specialized electric vehicle," Klein said then.
Now Clearwater will add six more hybrid sedans to the three it already owns, at a cost of $20,700 each. The new cars, all Toyota Priuses, will be split between the city departments, though the majority are earmarked for the police."
During the yearlong tests in which Klein participated, Clearwater's hybrid Toyotas averaged between 40 and 58 miles per gallon. A standard Ford Taurus gets about 15 miles per gallon, according to the city.
That means over 75,000 miles, according to the city's estimates, a hybrid could save $8,000 in gasoline costs - enough to offset the extra $6,000 to buy the car.
"When I see people driving around in big SUVs or Hummers in L.A., I just think it's ridiculous," actor Michael Keaton, a Prius owner, recently told the Times of London. "I mean, how heavy can your kids be?"
OMG ROFLMTO that's hilarious !!! How heavy can your kids be, that's classic !!! :shades:
Comments
Nice diesel.
WooHooo! 1% Only 99% more and they will achieve world domination.
Now that is an accomplishment :P Too funny.
I love hybrids!!!!
Yummy!!!
and here3665
quote falconone #3261- Already posted. Let's not have the folks read the same article ten times. -end :surprise:
3569
quote falconone #3261- Already posted. Let's not have the folks read the same article ten times. -end
Mission in life? Wow! You take hybrids very seriously.
Envy
It is likey that other automakers envy the "Green Reputation" that Toyota has created.
The foremost one for me is that it helps keep money out of the hands of the ayatollahs and saudi princes. You may be in favor of doing that but I'm not.
Forget CR if you like, but you can not dispute the fact of poor VW reliability, just google "VW reliability" and get an endless sea of troubles and woe, from windows falling out, fires and steering parts falling off to name a few.
Used car listings are a good sign of reliability and there just isn't many diesels over the 100K mile mark.
Saving money with a hybrid-
I chose to dissolve any premium paid within the first year, and I did. Now all I do is save at the pump.
Your diesels ~40MPG is good mileage. But diesel fuel is drastically more expensive and they don't exceed 900 mile tanks like my own gasoline hybrid car does.
Three popular Internet car-shopping sites report notable drops in users seeking information on gas-electric hybrids and other fuel-efficient cars.
PS
No way you can compare a Passat to a Prius. Only in a Prius drivers dreams. Jetta TDI is a better comparo. The Jetta TDI wagon is popular here in Hawaii with the Hollywood transplants. They are all using biodiesel. That is truly "green" not pale hybrid green.
Anyway...as you all know the TDIs are not sold in many "green" states for a reason. They spew out noxious fumes. Diesels do have a place in our country. In rigs transporting goods from one side of the continent to the other. Once we have "clean diesels" then I'd be interested. As to a Prius vs a TDI. If you like vibration and harshness, then the TDI is for you. Idling in a TDI is like sitting in those vibrating beds at Brookstone. Idling in a Prius? Sheer bliss.
They're loving hybrids in Fiji too!!! Gotta love it!!
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=31295
May require free registration.
discussions are the places for that. I'll be moving posts to appropriate topics to keep things on track here.
While we understand your passion for the subject, we also need your help to keep these discussions on topic.
Thanks
3 November 2005
An industry newsletter reports that Toyota may be reconsidering its “no plug-in” mantra and be developing plug-in hybrids for the US, although the company still remains concerned about battery limitations.
A Toyota presentation at the Tokyo Motor Show outlined the benefits of plug-ins, according to the story in Inside Fuels and Vehicles.
The presentation concludes that plug-ins would perform as well or better than other motor vehicle technology—including regular battery-electric hybrids, all-electric vehicles and even fuel cell vehicles (if the hydrogen is obtained from natural gas)—in five criteria under assessment:
1.
Well-to-wheels carbon dioxide emissions;
2.
Emissions of criteria pollutants;
3.
Refueling infrastructure;
4.
Driving range; and
5.
Fuel diversity.
The report suggests that Toyota may partner with Pacific Gas & Electric on the battery component, an approach not without precedent. Mitsubishi, for example, is working with Tokyo Electric on batteries and a recharging system for its new electric vehicle.
No way you can compare a Passat to a Prius. Only in a Prius drivers dreams. Jetta TDI is a better comparo.
OK, now that I've made my point. Show me why the the two shouldnt be compared since they are the same size with similar features.
Prius BC vs Passat 2.0L Pckge 1 What are the critical differences?
oops..didnt see you moved the comparo posts to another thread, my bad.
So if you have a news item to share, get us talking about the aspect of it that you find interesting. If it blossoms into something that can really would be better discussed in more detail in one of our existing topics, we can move over there and continue.
Let's kind of keep this topic as kind of a "highlight reel" where we touch on the latest news.
November 1, 2005
Toyota suspends Prius fleet sales in U.S. due to consumer demand
Torrance, California – Toyota Motor Sales has temporarily suspended sales of its 2006 Prius gasoline/electric hybrid to government and rental fleets in the U.S., and is cancelling existing fleet order agreements, due to low inventories and an anticipated surge in retail consumer demand.
The company is advising that availability will remain limited for commercial fleet buyers and that delivery times may be in excess of six months. The recent passage of the U.S. Federal Highway Bill, which permits retail tax credits and HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane eligibility for hybrid vehicles, has prompted the company to expect an increase in retail demand. Toyota will restore fleet availability once production volumes are sufficient to meet both retail and fleet order demand.
Nov 1... Honda offers $1200 incentive on HAH due to flagging sales.
In the past I was including commentary on the news clips. The resulting discussions were deemed off topic by Edmunds hosts.
Discussion is allowed. Good.
Nothing wrong with promoting Hybrids - I do it myself every day....
But as far as what Hollywood is doing, let's analyze:
Hollywood = Liberals
Liberals = Environmentalists
Environmentalists = Greenies
Greenies = Prius Owners
Nothing surprising there.... :shades:
The Hollywood crowd was among the first to get hybrid cars with the first-generation Prius way back in 2001. Both Leonardo di Caprio and Cameron Diaz are among the earliest Prius owners around, if I remember.
Ah what the heck. Can make that up on gas in about a year.
I thought we discussed this topic to death yesterday.
Did you not say many of your customers buy a Prius not to replace luxury cars but to drive it as a second car?
Your description above describes the Prius quite well, but unfortunately does not describe a Passat at all!
Many people who buy a Passat are former luxury car owners who want to replace their luxury cars with a VW. Unlike the Prius, most are not buying a Passat as a second car!
The fact that most people buy a Passat and a Prius for different reasons is in itself proof that both a Prius and a Passat are not comparable.
In fact Intellichoice compared a Prius with a Malibu!
Maybe Intellichoice's use of such a comparison is an intelligent choice! Certainly a better choice than a Passat.
In fact IMO I dont even think a Prius can compete with a VW Jetta TDI!
Buyers seem to prefer ones that feel, um, weird to drive
With gas sky-high, hybrids should be red hot. Well, yes and no. While the Toyota Prius sells in eight days, the Honda Accord hybrid takes some two months -- just shy of the industry average -- to exit the lot, says J.D. Power & Associates Inc. The Civic hybrid is no Prius, either; it takes 36 days to move.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_46/b3959057.htm
It doesn't help any of the hybrid makers that fuel consumption fails to match what's advertised
So is Businessweek not a credible news source or are they anti-hyrbrid crusaders with a hidden agenda to dismantle Toyota and Honda's hybrid endeavors? :P
3 to 1 in my favor in terms of articles claiming that EPA is bogus for hybrids!
Refer to Gagrice's businsessweek link post #3708 above.
It appears gas savings are not a major issue for hybrid drivers since hybrids do not achieve great gas saving as claimed by EPA.
The main selling point for a Prius is its weird and new feeling!
I think it is amazing that the VW TDI is so popular without providing the weird feeling of a Prius! That in itself is a tesatment of the superiority of a VW TDI over a Toyota Prius.
I really hope they're on the cusp of a substantial breakthrough. No need for diesels if they can perfect this technology. 65mpg is SWEET. Go Honda!!
Weren't we just talking about Priuses and police departments last week?
Clearwater police quietly introduce hybrid sedans
Several city departments will be trading in their gas guzzlers for environmentally, and financially, friendly vehicles.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published November 7, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLEARWATER - When the police chief rolled onto a burglary scene in a car resembling a white cocoon, no one recognized him. Not the crooks.
Not even the cops.
As governments search for ways to appear "green friendly" while potentially saving money for taxpayers, many are turning to hybrid vehicles that consume less fuel.
Police Chief Sid Klein caught everyone off guard by driving his white Toyota Prius to the scene of a break-in last year.
"I thought I could sneak up on them with my specialized electric vehicle," Klein said then.
Now Clearwater will add six more hybrid sedans to the three it already owns, at a cost of $20,700 each. The new cars, all Toyota Priuses, will be split between the city departments, though the majority are earmarked for the police."
During the yearlong tests in which Klein participated, Clearwater's hybrid Toyotas averaged between 40 and 58 miles per gallon. A standard Ford Taurus gets about 15 miles per gallon, according to the city.
That means over 75,000 miles, according to the city's estimates, a hybrid could save $8,000 in gasoline costs - enough to offset the extra $6,000 to buy the car.
OMG ROFLMTO that's hilarious !!! How heavy can your kids be, that's classic !!! :shades:
:P