[Vision2020] RE: Hybrid Sales UP!

[Donovan Arnold]

Ted writes,

"You need to get out more often."

Agreed, but I disagree with the rest of your argument. The US is only 6% of 
the world population and has about 300,000,000 vehicles. Selling 200,000 a 
year of your hybrids is not going to put a dent in the oil consumption, nor 
are the old gas hogs being destroyed, they are being shipped to developing 
nations, so now you have the gas hogs and the hybrid.

You seem to not comprehend that it is not the US that is causing the 
increase in oil prices. It is developing nations that are consuming and 
creating more a problem for energy and world resources. Most the developed 
Western Nations have stopped increasing in population and are more efficient 
with technology. It is the third world industrial and agricultural based 
nations that are creating the increase in demand on oil and other natural 
resources.

If something is 10% of the problem and something else is 90% of the problem, 
shouldn't you concentrate on the 90%, where you have more room to make 
changes and to and obtain your goal?

Donovan J Arnold

PS I already drive a Geo Storm, and I would not pay $25 K for a car to save 
me $500 a year in gas. I have however, replaced the light bulbs that I use 
most in my apartment with energy saving 5 year bulbs because I hate changing 
bulbs, and it reduces my utility bill, especially during the summer because 
my apartment doesn't get as hot from the incandescent light bulbs.


>From: Tbertruss at aol.com
>To: donovanarnold at hotmail.com ("Donovan Arnold"), dickschmidt at moscow.com,   
>      Vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: Hybrid Sales UP!
>Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 15:38:48 -0400
>
>
>Donovan et. al.
>
>You need to get out more often.  Living in Idaho has warped your views of 
>reality.  There are areas of the US where many people are environmentally 
>aware, and also want to save money, so they do buy smaller fuel efficient 
>vehicles.
>
>Sales of smaller Hybrid cars are increasing!  And the small two seater 
>Honda Insight hybrid that I drove several years ago continues with a 2004 
>model!
>
>Read below:
>
>http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/20030507a1.asp
>
>
>Is a hybrid car for you?
>By Lucy Lazarony • Bankrate.com
>
>Hybrid car sales are heating up.
>
>Higher gas prices and good word-of-mouth are prompting more Americans to 
>try hybrid cars, which combine gasoline engines with battery-powered 
>electric motors.
>
>Hybrid cars from Toyota and Honda have racked up record sales in early 
>2003.
>
>"People are paying more for gas and they're thinking about fuel economy," 
>says Andy Boyd, manager of public relations for Honda.
>
>From Jan. 1 through April 30, Honda sold 6,400 Civic hybrids; 4,700 of 
>those sales came in February and March when gas prices topped $2 in some 
>areas.
>
>January through March was a great sales quarter for the Toyota Prius with 
>6,106 Americans joining the ranks of Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio as 
>Prius owners.
>
>"The word of mouth on hybrids is continuing to grow and sales are 
>continuing to pick up steam," says Sam Buto, a spokesman for Toyota.
>
>Industry experts expect hybrid sales to accelerate sharply in the next few 
>years.
>
>Hybrid launch dates in North America
>Make and model Release date:
>
>Honda Insight hatchback  December 1999
>Toyota Prius sedan  June 2000
>Honda Civic hybrid sedan  April 2002
>Ford Escape SUV  December 2003
>GMC Sierra pickup 2004
>Chevy Silverado pickup 2004
>Lexus RX 330 SUV  2005
>Saturn VUE SUV  2005
>Chevrolet Equinox SUV 2006
>Chevrolet Malibu sedan  2007
>Honda Accord sedan 2004
>Toyota Camry sedan 2004
>Honda Pilot SUV 2004
>
>Americans bought 38,000 hybrid cars in 2002, and sales are forecast to 
>reach 54,000 in 2003, according to J.D. Power and Associates, a marketing 
>information and research firm based in Agoura Hills, Calif.
>
>Hybrid sales are expected to climb to 107,000 in 2004 and 211,000 in 2005. 
>The reason? A flurry of new hybrid models, including pickup trucks and 
>sport utility vehicles will be available.
>
>The first new hybrid on the block arrives later this year when Toyota 
>launches a larger, hatchback version of the Prius sedan.
>
>The selection of hybrid vehicles really takes off in late 2004 with hybrid 
>versions of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord sedans, Lexus RX 330, Ford 
>Escape and Honda Pilot SUVs and GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado pickup 
>trucks all scheduled to arrive.
>
>"More choices will attract different kinds of buyers," says Walter McManus, 
>an automotive analyst at J.D. Power. "The people who buy a Lexus RX 330 are 
>not shopping the Prius. The people who buy a full-sized pickup are never 
>going to shop a Prius."
>
>So families that prefer an ultra fuel-efficient and eco-friendly set of 
>wheels will have a lot more choices in the next couple of years.
>
>Right now, folks who want to embrace the new hybrid technology and do their 
>part for the environment have three auto choices: a Toyota Prius sedan, a 
>Honda Civic hybrid or a two-seater Honda Insight.
>
>Hybrid vehicles are good for the earth because they suck up less gas and 
>spit out less pollution. But before you dash out and buy one, be sure to 
>consider the cost.
>
>Being an environmental trailblazer isn't cheap. The hybrid cars available 
>today cost anywhere from $3,500 to $6,000 more than comparable conventional 
>cars.
>
>Despite ultra-impressive gas mileage, you'll have a tough time making up 
>the price difference at the pump. And that doesn't include any additional 
>maintenance costs and the possibility that you may have trouble reselling 
>the vehicle.
>
>On the other hand, you do get a substantial tax break by purchasing a 
>hybrid car.
>
>Fuel-cost comparison
>Let's start by comparing the gasoline costs of driving a $20,000 Civic 
>Hybrid with a $16,500 Civic LX. The Civic Hybrid with a manual transmission 
>gets an impressive gas mileage of 46 miles per gallon in the city and 51 
>mpg on the highway. The Civic LX gets 32 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the 
>highway.
>
>We'll use city mileage figures for both cars because that's the mileage 
>estimate most drivers are likely to achieve. Let's say gas is $1.75 per 
>gallon and you drive 15,000 miles every year.
>
>Will you be able to rack up $3,500 in fuel-cost savings with your Civic 
>Hybrid? Not unless you plan on keeping the car forever.
>
>Driving a Civic Hybrid instead of a Civic LX will trim your fuel costs by 
>about $250 a year. After five years you'd save $1,250 at the pump. After 10 
>years, you'd save $2,500. After 15 years you'd save $3,750, finally just 
>over your $3,500 goal.
>
>Let's take a closer look at the numbers.
>
>To drive 15,000 miles with a Civic Hybrid, you'll need to pump in about 326 
>gallons of gas. Pay $1.75 a gallon and your yearly fuel costs will run 
>about $571.
>
>To drive 15,000 miles with a Civic LX, you'll need to pump in more than 469 
>gallons of gas. At $1.75 a gallon, your yearly fuel costs will run about 
>$821, just $250 more than the Civic Hybrid.
>
>Of course, the more gas prices go up, the more money you'll save driving a 
>Civic Hybrid instead of a conventional Civic.
>
>So let's say gas prices shoot back up to $2 a gallon. Yearly fuel expenses 
>with a Civic LX will run about $938 compared with $652 for a Civic Hybrid. 
>That's a savings of $286 a year. After five years of high fuel prices you'd 
>save $1,430. But you're still a long way from recouping the extra $3,500 
>you paid for your environmentally friendly set of wheels. Helping the earth 
>can be hard on your wallet.
>
>

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