What I find absolutely amazing is how the payback concept has entered into how hybrids are evaluated by some members of the press, and yet that has never been a talking point in any of their other articles about other vehicles. That just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. No vehicle has any economic payback or break even. You always spend money on cars from day one, they are a continuing expense. If the expense is not just fuel, then it is maintenance, tires, repairs, etc.

If auto journalists want to add another dimension to their articles, then they should be doing B/E analysis for all vehicles they write about, not just a select few.

 

You are correct of course. Still there is one single reason that SUV sales are down and hybrid car sales are up. Gas prices. When gas prices were lower SUV sales were booming and they couldn't hardly give an Insight away in spite of only making a few hundred a year. In 2002 Our local dealership was offering heavy discounts to unload a new red CVT Insight. I would have bought one back then if they could have found me a manual transmission. They had so much trouble selling the cars that they didn't want to take a chance on eating another one. They would only try to get me one with a MT if I bought it sight un-seen and I wouldn't buy a car that I'd never seen/drove so I never ended up with an Insight.

Since gas prices are the main driving force, clearly people are expecting to save money with a hybrid purchase.

 

Sure
City driving. Accelerate to 35 mpg. Time saved: 3 seconds.
Caught at the next light -- time savings lost
Total time savings: Nothing.

 

LakeDude,

Spot on regarding gas prices and purchasing behavior. But those people are comparing a hybrid to their current gas guzzler, not a Honda civic hybrid to a regular civic.

I agree that it is illogical to think hybrid vs SUV, and ignore all the choices in the middle -- but there you have it. I'm no marketing shrink, but I can throw out a couple of possibilities to explain consumer behavior:

1. A lot of those SUV buyers were just following the fashion, and continue to do so.

2. Americans predominantly value car size above everything else ('power' is second). The Prius is the biggest car they can buy for their price range that gets excellent mpg. I really think this is the dominant reason for the Prius' success.

 

I read the Newsweek article and agree about the need to excellerate and decelerate slowly frustrates drivers behind me. I know it's the way I should be driving from now on in order to optimize my mpg, but if I were in back of me, I'd have to wring my neck. I used to hate the kind of drive I now must become.

 

I had an experience where I was slowing for a red light. Of course I took my foot off the gas far before most people. So this car comes up behind me and honks. I was about 25ft from the last car in line at the red light and still coasting. My speed was probably about 15mph.

So this guy honks and zooms around to get between me and the car I'm coming up on. The light turns green and this guy signals for a right turn. For fun I honked at him because he is blocking me from going straight. So basicly he zoomed to get around me so he could wait in line to make a turn. I hope it was worth his time

I'd also like to know why if I am driving too slow the time to get to work hasn't changed?

 

How true! Also, the fact that my insurance rates have just begun to come down because I've cleared my record of speeding tickets. Yes, it's a new beginning.

 

Accelerating slowly does not improve MPG. In my Prius, 1/3 to 1/2 depression of the gas pedal is optimal.