More CNW-driven "News"

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bsd43 @ Jul 15 2007, 11:12 AM) [snapback]479164[/snapback]</div>

Hmm, yeah, the reason I picked the Prius over the Honda was because... wait, what's the MPG difference? the cost difference? the safety ratings?

And, hell yes, I'm SMUG

 

Hi All,

Art Spinella is feeding the news media what HIS customers want to hear. Not the truth.

His customers are the non-technical automotive industry executive, which have dominated NA automotive companies with bs such as the SUV and the muscle car in the year 2000.

Until these industry people give up the propaganda war and just get on with what their customers can live with in the 21 st century, the probabilty of a US car company going out of buisness gets greater and greater.

 

It's a SF Chronicle article. I don't know about other areas of the state, but the proportion of Prius drivers around here seems quite high. (It's not even a big deal to me when I see one outside anymore because I can expect to see at least 3 or 4 each time I'm out.) Wonder what kind of response it will get.

 

If you read the whole thing, it's really not such a bad editorial.

I did buy my car to make a statement and the Prius is a very visual statement, but instead of the statement other cars make ("look how much money I have", "isn't my huge SUV macho", etc.) the statement is "look, I'm trying to make a difference". It seems like a relatively healthy statement to make.

I do wonder, however, who finances Art Spinella to conduct his research. I'm sure it isn't Toyota, and the reporters need to ask questions about who employs him to flush out any bias his conclusions may have.

 

I don't think "Spinella" is his real name, but instead refers to his occupation.

Harry

 

I don't know why "making a statement" is a such a 'bad thing' I think it's good to make a statement. Like when someone doesn't like the way the current administration is being run, whether it be local, state or federal, if you sit back and accept the status quo then you're not doing anything, if you speak up about it then you're doing something even if it be a little thing. By getting a prius you're really sending a message, HEY I want fuel economy not armor plating damnit. It says that yeah, I don't need to have the ability to move my entire life on a whim, I can rent a truck for that type of hauling if I need to.

Like the old saying goes, if you don't vote you don't have the right to complain. If you don't say anything about the fuel inefficiencies of cars that are being marketed to Americans, then you don't have the right to complain that it cost $50+ to fill up your tank

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ Jul 16 2007, 07:02 AM) [snapback]479528[/snapback]</div>

I've always suspected Art Spinella to be a clever pen name.
I hope he/she will get exposed someday. It'll do the public good.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MikeSF @ Jul 16 2007, 09:23 AM) [snapback]479565[/snapback]</div>

I agree, but the part I didn't care for is "it makes a statement about me". No, I don't care what people think about me, I want to make a statement to car manufacturers that people want a fuel-efficient option when buying cars. If the HCH had as much interior room as the Prius for the same price and mpg, I would have bought that, because honestly, I didn't care for the look of the Prius when I bought it and have no need to be noticed (other than thru the statistics manufacturers look at when deciding what to build).

The Hummer makes a stronger statement. Every car says something about the priorities of the person driving it (which is why college students often hate their hand-me-down cars, even if it meets their needs).

You notice Spinella isn't saying the Hummer is cheaper per mile than the Prius (dust-to-dust) anymore? That's because his own research has shown the numbers have changed, even using his skewed system.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Jul 16 2007, 08:46 AM) [snapback]479576[/snapback]</div>

Judging by his boat, his car is probably a bucket of rusty bolts too... but I bet he gets free fuel!
http://www.nvo.com/cnwmr/

 

Every car makes a statement.

What's worse "Hi my name is prius, I'm a smug environmental person" or

" my name is ferrari or porshe, I'm a rich smug person, please everyone look at me" or

" my name is hummer, I like to spend a lot of money on my cars and don't understand the concept of energy independence, oh by the way, I have a small penis"... the list goes on.

 

This is my first post, and my guess is it won’t be an auspicious way to start my official membership here (been lurking for some time). This seems to be the kind of topic that gets people worked up.

That said, for a variety of reasons (one of which can be summed up as transmission failure), we just ended up buying a Prius and a Civic Hybrid. The Civic was first, and purchased at a time when we thought we only needed one car. It was supposed to be mine, and I have to say that one of the main things I liked about it compared to the Prius was that it basically looked like any other Civic. (Also, and not to hijack the thread, but contrary to a previous post, it was cheaper and it had better crash test ratings.)

As it turned out, I ended up with the Prius and my wife drives the Civic. I love the car except for two things. The first is the seats (plenty of posts on that). The second is that some people pretty clearly think I’m trying to make a statement, and they’re talking back (e.g., the big old F-350 grills looming in my rear view mirror are more than a coincidence).

I’ve never been one to make statements, mainly because I don’t think they do much good. I can barely manage to convince someone else to think like I do when I’m standing in front of them flapping my jaws and waving my arms. I really don’t think I’ll do much better by sporting a bumper sticker or driving a car that says “hybrid.†Most people need more than that to convince them something is right or wrong, and the rest are often immune to reasoning anyway.

So here’s my statement: “I wish I weren’t making a statement with the Prius so I didn’t have to have weird and pointless ‘conversations’ with people whose minds I can’t change anyway.â€

Give me a stealth hybrid.

Separately, thanks to all for the enormous amount of info accumulated here. It helped tremendously in our purchasing decision. (The car is a keeper, my discomfort about the statement notwithstanding, but I may turn it over to the wife, who loves to make a statement and loves the ensuing scuffles. )

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(abq sfr @ Jul 16 2007, 11:12 AM) [snapback]479629[/snapback]</div>

What a sophomoric-looking website. The FAQ is hilarious though...

 

I just love it when know-it-all asses make blanket statements about people they don't even know.

Why doesn't he interview some real Prius Owners?

The last thing I thought about when car shopping was making a "statement". Price, gas mileage, cost of ownership, insurance, etc. were the things I was thinking about.

I love the fact that the Prius is envoromentally friendly.



The only statement I am going to make - These type of writers are idiots.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bsd43 @ Jul 15 2007, 02:12 PM) [snapback]479164[/snapback]</div>

The NY times had a similar article last week. I posted a comment there to point out a few things.

This "research" is at odds with other serious marketing studies of the Prius, where there is good agreement that good fuel economy/low operating cost and lower environmental impact are the most common reasons for buying a Prius.

Further, Spinella has a clear and demonstrated bias against the Prius, as evidenced by his ludicrous studies comparing a Hummer to a Prius, and his "study" showing that the Prius makes no difference because the (carefully chosen handful of) Prius-owning households in his survey show average fuel economy that is essentially no different from the (carefully chosen handful of) non-Prius-owning households in his survey.

Reporters never seem willing to ask basic questions, such as, what was the sample size and how was the sample drawn? Given that these results are at odds with the rest of the publicly-available studies of Prius owners, I'd bet we're looking at the responses of a handful of people.

 

I too agree that making a statement by buy a car is nothing new. It has been going on since the beginning.

This is one of the way to distract the credit where it is due. Prius is popular because of the superior Hybrid Synergy Drive, not because it looks different. I bought Prius because it is technologically superior than anything in the price range. Not only it is revolutionary, I was convinced that it is the car of the future.

One can ask why Camry hybrid isn't as popular as Prius. I say, just wait and see. It may become very popular like the Prius. Camry Hybrid does not come with a smaller ICE (<2.4l). It performs like a V6. Imagine if Camry Hybrid use 1.8 liter ICE and performs like the 2.4 liter 4 cylnder model? And give MPG around 45 MPG? I think it will sell more. I hope Toyota try that with Corolla or some other model.

 

The article doesn't break any new ground and it actually refers to one and two year old situations. It also seems to be a summary of childishness on both sides. Hardly news.

 

Reading the comments that the article inspired on the sfgate web site is amazing. Several people posted comments that clearly relate to CNW's Prius v Hummer article that has been resoundingly debunked. It is interesting just how many people will take someone's word for something without further investigation.

However, CNW's assault on the Prius lost all its ammo when the Prius v Hummer article was debunked. So, CNW now has to take aim at something else. This time, it is Prius owners via name calling. Personally, I call this tactic childish. Sooner or later, someone will come along and do to these CNW "stats" just what was done with the Hummer v Prius article. And, IMHO, if CNW keeps at the game, they will eventually discredit themselves for crying wolf too many times.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(usbseawolf2000 @ Jul 16 2007, 04:22 PM) [snapback]479780[/snapback]</div>

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but interestingly, in Canada (at least in Toronto), the Camry Hybrid seems to be much more popular than the Prius, as I see about 2x-3x as many on a daily basis as I do Prius. Considering the HyCam is more difficult to pick out of a crowd than a Prius (except for a few tell-tale signs such as taillights, badges, etc...), the ratio may be even higher than that.

IMHO, I think the biggest reason for this is pricing, as Toyota Canada seems to mark up the Prius much higher in Canada. In fact the hybrid base model pricings are very close (Prius = $31,280, HyCam = $32,000). In Ontario, the Prius qualifies for $4000 in tax rebates, while the Camry gets $3500, which almost makes it a wash right there.

I still prefer my Prius... I love the versatility of the hatch and the better MPG. B)

 

Had to add an opinion ...

I just got my Prius four days ago (after thinking about getting one for about two years!) and I couldn't be happier. I just love this car ... and one of the things I really like about the car is that it is easily recognizable on the road. People are social animals; we are greatly influenced by those around us -- peer pressure. By driving a hybrid (and not hiding it) I hope that the sight of my car humming down the freeway (and passing those big trucks, no problem!) might be one more visual to make someone think that they might look at a hybrid when they go to buy a car. After all, how did SUVs get so popular? People saw them, and thought, "hey, maybe I want one of those!" We can only hope this will happen with smaller/more fuel efficient/hybrid vehicles.