Grrr... Misleading diesel vs. hybrid radio commerical

[betshsu]

You're not going to hear this commerical unless you live in Austin, but I heard it on the radio last night and it irritated me.

Gist of commercial:

Want to get 660 miles on a tank of gas and not be loaded down by heavy batteries that take up all your trunk space, or be cramped in a car that barely seats four adults? Then come to [dealership name] Volkswagon and check out the TDI.

blah blah blah

Ironically, this same dealership franchise also has a Toyota branch (where I originally had my Prius order, but ended up getting my car elsewhere because of potentially sketchy practices and extra dealer add-ons).

Annoyed with the commerical because what hybrid do those comments even really apply to? Maybe the Insight... you give up a little trunk space in the Civic, but I don't think it's that bad (I haven't checked it out personally, but I heard you can fit a cello in there). It just gives people misconceptions about hybrids.

[BobA]

the price of gas in the Denver area is $1.79- $2.09.. saw that price today... diesel was $2.29... so why would you buy a car that cost $.40 more per gallon to operate... or maybe thats just Denver and not in other areas

[DaveinOlyWA]

dealers are basically stuck with what they get and have to market them anyway they can. stretching or even (in this case) inventing the truth is a very common practice in the auto industry and will continue. the only reason why any car is being compared to a hybrid is simply because non-hybrid dealers know where the threat to their livelihood is coming from and are using any and all tactics they can to delay the inevitable.

and yes, i believe it is inevitable. hybrid technology is here to stay and will stay until something better comes along and that is not predicted to happen for as little as 7 years (very very highly unlikely) to as much as 20 years...(and only because the oil situation will be much more dire)

there is a possible light at the end of what is now a nearly pitch dark tunnel of hope in a possible breakthrough in storage technology that could make EV tech practical to a much larger part of the population. wont be the answer... but many people's driving needs are very moderate and that is what we need to address. i see a whole new industry of leased EV's filling the niche now occupied by car owners who never drive more than 75 miles a day (that is about 50 million people folks)

this substituted EV population can be directly responsible for putting 400 MILLION LESS
TONS of polutants into the air we suck up every year. this is the most conservative estimate available. some estimates put the figure at 2 Billion tons. the best part of EV's and battery storage is there is much more leeway in the charge rate that is necessary making wind, solar and geothermal viable methods for charging.

but that would entail a lot of change and people resist change so it is as always, an uphill, against the wind, start at the bottom fight against multiple opposing interests.

after saying all that, the auto industry i still reeling from the gut shot the Prius has given them and i dont think the Prius has thrown its last punch yet.