It looks like we're all in for another round of hard luck stories on TV about poor unfortunates in their SUV's, facing financial hardships in just trying to get back and forth to work. (Of course they fail to mention the huge sticker prices on those SUV's that the poor unfortunates willingly agreed to pay to drive those gas hogs).

Harry

 

I was very disillusioned this week when a coworker shocked me by telling me that she drives an SUV- a pretty big one. We've talked about hybrid cars a number of times, but she never volunteered this information before. She's a short woman of fairly small stature- no call for extra space in the car. She has a commute through suburbia that's pretty short and utterly flat, no small kids with stuff to lug around, a job that would not require any hauling at all, and no activities that I know of that involve either passengers or stuff to be taken from place to place. I just cannot come up with any valid reason why she would in any way 'need' an SUV, particularly as I know she's perfectly aware of the rollover rates and safety issues.

I didn't want to be rude, so I didn't say anything critical, but she knows how I feel about it anyway. She was talking about how the hybrid SUVs would be 'too small' for her. In heaven's name, how? Apparently she likes to 'sit up high.'

I get so frustrated sometimes. Otherwise reasonable people who just DON'T GET IT, no matter what I do, no matter what I say, no matter how well educated they are on the issues... well, she still hasn't seen Al Gore's movie. I'm going to keep trying. But sometimes I feel like throwing up my hands and saying 'What's the use?'

 

Yes gas prices are increasing, and the reported Prius sales is encouraging. But the media isn't portraying $3.00/g as a national crisis- as it was only a year ago. Surely people notice but the media hasn't whipped it up into a frenzy.

None the less I think the migration to smaller more efficient vehicles are inevitable.
I'd suggest anybody on the fence about these cars make your decision before the frenzy begins.

 

Sound advise, but we are living in the United States of Amnesia.

 

Today, one of my supervisors finally noticed my license plate, "C-52MPG" and asked how long I'd had it. "Since I renewed my tags in October," I answered. He'd bought huge Ford pickup truck . . . a perfectly clean and dent free truck.

Bob Wilson

 

It should read:The Once Hot Prius sales increase even as gas prices drop and their avalibility increases

 

 

And so it does! February Prius sales hit an all time record:

Prius sales hit 12,227 units, the highest monthly tally ever. That moved the Prius to the number nine slot in the list of top ten bestselling cars in the U.S. in February.