Plug-In Hybrid Electrical Vehicle

Would Toyota have sold less if looked more like a sports car?

My friends and I have this conversation all the time.  Some of us argue that if the car had the same appeal as the old Honda CRX or a Toyota Supra that they could have sold millions more.  Some of my friends argue that the only reason it sold so well was because it appealed to environmentalists personalities that enjoy knowing that they bought a car exclusively for its impact on the environment and their desire to be less dependent on oil.  Why else would I buy an unattractive car, many of them admit.  Many people that drive the Prius, especially before gas went up to $3 and $4 per gallon, enjoyed the statement that it made due to its simplicity and that had zero pretentious value.

So where are we now?  Are we better or worse off because there is not an attractive two seater hybrid that city slickers can commute to work in and still let the world know I am rich and I am an environmentalist?  I would argue that someone needs to race to the market with a high line hybrid that actually gets Prius like gas mileage.  Imagine a Prius wrapped in a 911 turbo.  Imagine if you could get a Mercedes SLK or a Porsche Boxster that got 45 miles to the gallon and that turned off while you were stopped in traffic.  Man I still smile every time I pull up to a light and my engine turns off.  I smile for a second and then I look around at all the cars and trucks that are stopped but have their engines running and I think, wow we really got bent over by the automotive engineers and executives.  My 1992 Saab 9000 turbo was a four cylinder that had more torque and power than most cars today and got amazing gas mileage.  How is it that diesel trucks that weigh tens of thousands of pounds get the same mileage as a Lexus LX 470 or a Chevy Suburban.  How is it that have made huge strides in so many other industry but have failed to make them in the automotive industry with respect to fuel economy?  Were they paid off by the oil industry like the movie industry was paid off by tobacco companies?  How is it that gas mileage has barely improved decade after decade?

Anyway, I am rambling..   What we want to know from our readers is are we better or worse off because we don't have any sexy pretentious hybrids that get over 40 miles per gallon.  Or is that question invalid since gas was not $4.00 a gallon a year or two ago.....

Talk to us...  We need to hear what you think.