Hybrid hype tempered for good?
A year too late?Yesterday I read some commentary in the DetroitNews which basically claimed hybrid hype is dead.
"Gone, hopefully, are the days when the hybrid hype machine said the dual-powertrain vehicles would dominate the market and be standard offerings for most vehicles in every fleet," writes Manny Lopez.
Instead, "Unfortunately, in the end, legislators and activists have been better at grandstanding and casting aspersions at those who don't play their game, but if the car companies are smart and follow the market's lead, they'll keep building what people buy, not what others tell them to build."
So, isn't that exactly what Detroit has been claiming its been doing? Has that really been so successful?
Today, cheap gas and massive incentives might push many back into guzzlers, but does that really mean that is what Detroit should focus upon for its future product offerings? Isn't that a recipe for failure?
Still, Lopez is right to an extent. Cheap gas won't sell hybrid cars, even if Obama and Congress force automakers to develop such vehicles. Yet, gas prices will again increase, probably quite significantly. When that happens, hybrids will easily sell, but that might not happen for several years.
Just a few minutes ago, Obama spoke on the economy and made clean energy a huge component of that speech and fuel efficiency a central topic. That means hybrid cars. Yet, can Obama successfully sell fuel efficiency when gas is cheap?
Labels: gas, Hybrid Vehicles












