CNBC: Has Interest in Hybrids Run Out of Gas?

The Elantra Touring model is being discontinued and a new model based on the European i30 will be on sale later this year. They had this car on display at the NY Auto Show.

In any case, the Elantra Touring model really competed directly with the Prius v not the Prius lift back. In fact, when I bought my v last year, I directly compared the v with the Elantra Touring and the Jetta Diesel wagon. For me, the v won squarely on its merits of convenience and economy.

 

I've tried registering several times and their drop downs and links don't seem to work.
I just sent them an email reporting the problem.

 

Want to eat glass after reading that article. Whoever read it seems blissfully unaware of the difference between city and highway mileage. When reporting a vehicle's MPG with a single number, it's ignorant at best and deceitful at worse to not report combined numbers.

So much FUD. One of the comments "Perhaps word is beginning to spread about the high cost of maintenance when it's time for battery replacement or $1200 "tune-ups"?"

/sigh.

 

I wouldn't compare a Prius c with Elantra Touring. c compares in size to Honda Fit.

Elantra Touring about the length of regular Prius.

 

My mistake.

I added Elantra Touring GLS preffered package, bluetooth and iPod cable ....

now the price is $19,380
Prius Two is $24,760 (no mats)

(24.76k + 2.476kTTL) - (19.38K + 1.938K) ~ $5,918 cost diff.

don't know about reg,insurance, maintenance diff,

7.3 cent/mi diff on $4gas, so earn cost diff back in about 81k miles plus enjoy HSD.

 

Not so much. Elantra touring has exact same wheelbase as liftback - 106.3"
Length within 1", width within 1", height 1.1" difference. weight very close.

Prius v seems closer to Mazda 5.

That said, there is no other car on the planet that looks much like a liftback Prius, no way to really compare.

 

That sounds about fair. For me when I did my math I used a manual mazda 3 because I prefer that transmission. It was the trade off of fun to drive and money versus less oil use. I averaged about 13K miles a year. In 2009 the mazda 3 was discounted the prius was not. When you get to the out years, I would assume at 6 or 7 years a hybrid will depreciate more because of its battery pack. For pure TCO 5 years makes sense. From a financial POV my choice did not make"sense". The prius isn't saving me money. I couldn't buy a decent stereo for me in it so I needed to put in an aftermarket. The rims and tires were not up to my standard, and I wasn't willing to go to the 5 trim, so that was after market too. The mazda 3 had decent alloys and tires. If I didn't care about oil use, I would have bought an even more expensive car The mazda 3 was my upper limit on consumption. I average 42mpg because of lots of short trips, the part they don't tell you about when people are talking about high mpg. My previous car I came close to epa.

Everyone's decision is different. For Jimbo, he drives enough miles and has different needs, the prius is the lowest TCO.

The awful thing about the bad CNBC piece is its not all about the money. Hybrid sales are up. Some of us do care that we are running out of oil, and don't really want to fight another war over it. If they wanted to be ballanced they would have talked about people down sizing from monstrosity sized SUVs and the money wasted on military adventures. It is sad that only 2.4% of cars last year were hybrids. Maybe we will get to 3%-4% this year. Maybe the congress will eventually be shamed into eliminating oil subsidies and actually adding more oil taxes. That would make the cost of a 20mpg suv go up

My brother has a TCH and drives many miles in chicago traffic. He saves much more gas a year than I do. He also likes the eCVT fot that kind of driving. It has more power than the 4 cylinder camry. I would say given those things a TCH does have a fairly fast payback and lower TCO for many than the normal 4 cylinder camry.

 

I've noticed a lot of financial experts really pushing Natural Gas as an automotive fuel source saying its plentiful and easily attainable and we produce so much we're running out of places to store it, yet a few years ago when Honda came out with the Civic CNG and Ford used to make the F150's and Crown Vics with CNG fuel nobody wanted them.

Maybe its cause they see a higher profit in nat. gas now and want to cash in on it? Talk it down whenever possible then suddenly talk it up and jack up the price and pocket some nice change?

 

Nat gas yesterday hit the lowest price in a decade, I think. It's used in other nations, but like EV here with no infrastructure if you get a natural gas car you're on your own. I think the Civic was only available in a tiny number of markets as well. Gas is so ingrained and its delivery so perfected that a real competitor can only take hold if the price of gas keeps going up and up and up.

 

Yep, this is my issue with nat gas as well. If I could figure out a way to do it (that makes sense financially), I would do it in a heartbeat. In KY, there is almost no infrastructure and a home filling station costs $5000 and takes 8-12hrs to fill up (not to mention the added electricity cost). Its really frustrating.

 

All I keep hearing is the local dealers here in NY Are low on inventory.
Perhaps CNBC should try buying one under MSRP