> Hybrids are in their infancy, and if demand stays
> strong, companies will bust their humps to keep
> improving the technology, making the cars more
> efficient, more reliable, cleaner, etc.
>
> =====
> Paul Misencik - 1971 MGB - www.sopwithracing.com
Those are all of the wrong areas to focus on. The problem with the newest
environmental friendly vehicles, like the hybrids, is their aesthetic
appeal. Is it that they have the least design prestige and therefore get
passed to the college interns to draw during their lunch breaks? They
(Toyota / Honda) claim that the shapes are dictated by aerodynamics... but
cars like the late 1940s Cisitalia had comparable co-efficients of drag and
the Cisitallia was not half as ugly as a Prius. Anyone care to guess what
the Cisitalia got for fuel economy as well? Try upwards of 50mpg on the
small Fiat motor (sub 1L if I remember correctly), and it still had a fairly
brisk pace (it could just breech 100mph).
Remember, packaging sells itself because it is the pretty part... the
technology inside (like hybrid drivetrains) has to be marketed in order to
gain acceptance. So once Toyota and Honda figure this out and produce
better looking hybrids, perhaps we will see wider acceptance of
environmentally friendly vehicles and technology.
Kai
--
Kai M. Radicke
Wishbone Classics
www.wbclassics.com
Ph: 215.945.7250
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