An Article By SARAH A. WEBSTER of the Detroit Free Press, as reported in The Seattle Time, Reporting on a campaign created by the Bluewater Network, a nonprofit organization that fights for clean air and water. This campaign is against, of all people, Toyota. Bluewater claims Toyota is misleading the public on environmental issues.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...btoyota23.html

 

That's a bunch of crap...... The Bluewater Network people are DEAD WRONG in relying on "generally anti-hybrid" Mark Phelan for a test of the HH in which he got 20.6 MPG. Why could they not get someone who knows how to drive a hybrid give a second test?

They also say Toyota's 1985 fuel economy average was 30.0 and the 2005 is 27.5 MPG - well DUH, cars were a lot smaller back then in the "Pre-SUV" Era !! That's not a TOYOTA phenomenon, but an industry wide thing !!

Those guys are barking up the wrong tree, and I hope Toyota crushes them with the response to this outrageous campaign against them !!

 

It seems like any of the Big Three in Detroit would be more vunerable. From a fuel economy standpoint, DCX is the worst I think.

 

For 2005, the Big Three are as follows:

DCX domestic cars: 28.7
DCX import cars: 26.3
DCX light trucks: 21.0

Ford domestic cars: 28.2
Ford import cars: 28.4
Ford light trucks: 21.5

GM domestic cars: 28.8
GM import cars: 29.3
GM light trucks: 21.5

Looks like they're all in about the same position, although GM definitely has an edge over the other two. It's funny how GM gets beat up the worst, but at least by CAFE numbers, they are the top performer. Here's Toyota for comparison:

Toyota domestic cars: 34.3
Toyota import cars: 35.1
Toyota light trucks: 22.8

Obviously Toyota has a HUGE advantage over all the others, especially among their car sales, but even for trucks, they're way ahead of the rest.

Original doc with all the manufacturers for all years can be found here.

 

Reason I said DCX was the worst was some article said they had the most vehicles on the ten worst gas-guzzlers. Dodge Ram is among them.

 

They're doing it again! Hell, I was one of the people who had a discussion with Phelan and was asked to write for the Free Press a response to Phelans low MPG test, which they cut down for length, which I posted the article here about.

Mark isn't really a hybrid hater, but he wants to drive it like a normal car, and reported the MPGs of his "normal" driving. He also admits that no other vehicle gets EPA MPGs in a test he's done either, and that had I done the test, I probably would've exceeded EPA MPGs.

Yeah, his test of the HH got fewer MPGs than advertised, but so did his test of any vehicle; it's just usually not such a big point as compared to a hybrid, so he seldom mentions it.

 

OK, I gave Mark Phelan the benefit of going from "hater" to "generally anti-hybrid" which from the flavor of some of his news stories he most definitely seems to be AT LEAST IN MY OPINION.

 

Business Week's David Welch just posted an article in responce to the Bluewater slamp on Toyota's Green Image.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate...027_151002.htm

Quote:

...So if Toyota brass want to brag that they make smart business decisions and can successfully sell the latest technology, they'll find no argument here. But fostering an image that Toyota is a green company out of the kindness of their hearts? That's just smoke.

 

They never say that. They do say that being green is smart business.

As for BlueWater -- blah. They should start by looking at the vehicles they themselves have chosen to drive; and of the people that have cars that get lmpg >40, which car companies manufacture them. I hate seeing hypocrisy and abolition of personal responsibility within my political sphere.