Time to kill highway fuel economy numbers?
Perfect world nonsense?
The highway fuel economy gimmick
Highway fuel economy. According to transportation studies, census studies, etc., the future of transportation for most Americans is megacity-style, ever-increasing congestion. In such conditions, highway fuel economy is simply irrelevant.
So, why do automakers love using these highway numbers when they are largely irrelevant today, and becoming significantly more irrelevant by the minute?
According to one of Ford’s latest marketing pieces, the new Fiesta achieves 40 mpg on the highway, a fuel economy rating that is better than 21 hybrid vehicles. Of course, however, that list doesn’t include any hybrids in the same class as the Fiesta, just bigger hybrids. Likewise, as Cars.com wisely points out, the Fiesta achieves better highway fuel economy than all Ford hybrid vehicles.
So, I guess Ford hybrids are irrelevant?
Anyway, ohhhh the virtues of marketing. Why is the sizzle so much more important than the steak these days?
Regardless, the far majority of drivers do not drive solely in city traffic or highway traffic, and if ‘average’ – dare I say real world – fuel economy were the focus, then the Fiesta wouldn’t out-MPG many of those 21 hybrids, and it would look far less compelling compared to the hybrids in its actual size class.
More important, the future. The future is skewing towards city fuel economy as average fuel economy. Therefore, be a leader Ford. This is the kind of crap other Big 3 automakers have loved to hang their hat upon. Don’t be like them. Be the Ford that didn’t need government money. Be a leader.
And this is such a poignant conversation when it comes to the auto industry. The American consumer has been duped with decades of marketing that have made gas-guzzling almost a ‘god-given right’.
I’ve brought this up before, but there is a great Frontline piece on SUV rollover, and the history of what automakers knew and how they used marketing – in addition to the legal system and payoffs – to deceive – purely in the name of the biggest, easiest profits as possible – and to create a market that was purely in their interest, but against the interests of America and American consumers, especially long term interest.
I mean, I do care about highway mileage, but you guys are right, city mileage is much more relevant.
Marketing built around deception and perception? How dare you! Why, those fine young men on Madison Avenue only want what’s best for the American consumer and never resort to under-handed,…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Sorry, I couldn’t finish that without laughing.
Well, I’m not quite that cynical of marketing in and of itself, although I do concur that too much of marketing today is built around deception and perception.
Most of marketing relies on lying…otherwise there would be no purpose for it.