Perfect Prius

ARTICLE: Toyota Wants New Prius to Be America's Next Top Model, By Blaine Harden, Washington Post, June 9, 2009

Drove one around Boston last week as rental on biz trip (Hertz), and I must admit that it's a perfectly sweet ride. The USG should do even more to encourage such hybrids.

Comments

[large]

Tom, the Prius is Hype . . GM and Ford both have been manufacturing Hybrid automobiles for 3 years or so . . I believe there's even two Cadillac Hybrid Models, a SUV and a Sedan . . Ford, I think, has a Hybrid SUV and a hybrid Fusion . .

Toyota markets 2 hybrids, the Prius and the Camry and Honda markets the Civic Hybrid . .

Honda also is in the process of selling (On order only) a Hydrodgen powered sedan, at the cost of somewhere in the $125k range, I believe. High roller treehuggers are ordering them almost as fast as Honda can build them . . But the same people aren't trading in their Land Rovers!

But the USG needs to stay out of the "Personal Transportation" Business . . we already have the US Postal service and AMTRAK . .

[Smitten Eagle]

If the Prius is so great, the government won't have to encourage the production of them. They ought to sell themselves!

[jnutley]

large:

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/all-new-third-generation-toyota-82970.aspx

50 mpg for a 5 seat, family car. Take a look at the price of gas, and the Energy Dept is predicting another price spike this summer. Then think about it again, 50 mpg for a 5 seat, family car.

None of your "me too" big 3 company hybrids come close. It doesn't look like hype to me.