MIsc.

A lot of Leafs blowing around my LA neighborhood

The perfect plug-in for city folk?

Where a plug-in electric car makes a lot of sense

So, a new Chevy Volt ad finds the Volt telling its gas-guzzling parents that it’s electric. Even when the Volt is at the gas station converting gasoline into electricity, I wonder? Maybe.

Nevertheless, it’s this EV focus that makes it so interesting how many Nissan Leafs are blowing around my neighborhood compared to Chevy Volts. Read more…

Why does everyone lie about fuel economy?

40 mpgs in the real world? LOL!

Of course consumers want a 60 mpg truck that costs the same as a 15 mpg truck

The other day on GreenCarCongress  I came across the latest Consumer Federation of America (CFA) study that suggests that the citizenry are on board with the government’s plans to increase CAFE standards through 2025. Comments to this post, 0.

Just a few posts below was another study that suggests that the government is going to whiff big time on CAFE, at least in terms of real world greenhouse gas emission reductions, for instance, all while spending too much buck for too little bang. Last I saw, 18 comments to this post.

Join the herd. No controversy. Question the herd and you’re the moron. Read more…

Mild hybrid cars: Mainstreaming is the only option, now

If mild hybrids don’t make sense now, will they ever?

Where do mild hybrids fit in?

Conventional hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius and the Ford Fusion hybrid are great rides, but the extra upfront costs of these hybrids scare many consumers away. Even if these cars are more cost-effective than their conventional offerings after a few years, most consumers simply can’t overcome that higher MSRP barrier.

And that’s why mild hybrid cars could make a lot of sense. Read more…

Better residual value: Hybrid cars versus plug-in cars

c hybrid offers best residual value compared to all hybrids and plug-ins

How does plug-in depreciation compare to hybrids?

Obviously, no one wants to buy a new car and then drive off the lot and suddenly realize its worth drastically less than what was paid. Unfortunately, all new cars lose value as soon as the dealer hands you the keys, which is why savvy financial folks, such as Warren Buffett, only buy slightly used cars.

And residual value after 5 years is an even scarier number.

So do hybrid or electric cars hold their value better? Read more…

Prius v not yet a sale’s challenger in the crossover segment

Too Prius-like to challenge the crossover segment

Just a larger Prius, not really a crossover?

I haven’t been the biggest fan of the Toyota Prius v, although I could have easily been one of its biggest advocates. All Toyota needed to do was add a third row of seating, and I would have been all over this hybrid.

Certainly, a third seat would have been a tight squeeze, but it might have also given the larger Prius v a real shot to contend in the crossover segment. Read more…

New Ford C-Max hybrid could be better than the Toyota Prius

Another great hybrid utility offering

At least better than the bigger Prius v

While many have mocked Toyota over the last few years for not rushing into plug-in vehicles, plug-in sales suggest that it was Toyota that was the wiser. Instead of plug-ins, Toyota extended the Prius family and now both the c and the v Prius hybrids each achieve twice as many sales as the top selling plug-in. Plus, there is nary an automotive analyst — if any — that has forecast plug-ins outselling hybrids through the next decade.

And that makes the new Ford C-Max hybrid a pretty interesting entrant into the hybrid space. Read more…

Toyota Camry: The most American hybrid

Most American family car?

The best hybrid to buy this 4th of July?

For the fourth year in a row the Toyota Camry took the top spot in Cars.com’s American-Made Index, just barely beating out the Ford F150 pickup truck.

Like the conventional Camry, the Camry hybrid is also built at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant according to the latest data I could find. So does that make the Toyota Camry hybrid the most American hybrid? Read more…

Is it better that millennials drive hybrids, or not at all?

Who needs a license with self-driving Google cars?

Is the US economy still too coupled to the auto industry?

For a few years now there have been some scary reports coming out of the auto press, at least scary to some folks. Basically, it seems millennials, for a number of different reasons, just don’t seem all that interested in driving and owning cars relative to previous generations.

Fortunately, when millennials are interested in driving, they’re overwhelmingly orientated towards hybrid cars.

But isn’t driving less actually better than driving a hybrid or EV? Read more…

Mitsubishi i plug-in electric car fairly safe

Just don’t get hit on the passenger side.

Four out of five NHTSA stars

OK. Let’s cut straight to the chase on this one because there is no easy way around this. No way of being polite. The Mitsubishi i feels a little fragile and therefore, not the safest. Of course, here in America we’re used to huge, heavy rides.

But, just because the i plug-in electric car is small and light doesn’t mean it’s not safe. In fact, the NHTSA gave the i 4 out of 5 stars in its safety ratings. Not bad. Read more…

Save money on a Toyota Prius hybrid this Fourth of July?

Think conventional Prius for the best Prius deal this 4th.

At least a little

Heading out for some car shopping this 4th? If you’ve watched TV recently, then you’ve no doubt seen the commercials for 4th of July car sales.

Unfortunately, at least based on pricing data from Carwoo!, the best deals below MSRP won’t be available on hybrid cars. Instead, the Ford F150 pickup truck leads the way.

Still, according to Carwoo! you can at least save a little money on a Toyota Prius hybrid this 4th. Read more…