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Poll shows over fifty percent of America interested in hybrids
Gallup
conducted a poll last month checking the pulse of automotive consumers, and how their buying attitudes are changing
in light of America's increasing gas prices. According to the poll, fully 57 percent of the 1001 responders
now state that they would consider purchasing a hybrid as their next vehicle. Those among the younger and
middle-age were reportedly more interested than seniors, and would-be consumers with higher incomes looked upon
hybrids with more favor than those in lower-income brackets. (Nod to Bob for the tip)
[Source: Editor & Publisher]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ToyotaLoverUK 3:52PM (4/14/2006)
I think I can save everyone a lot of time by making the following predictions:
1: The "Domestics" brigade will say how this is a "biased" poll.
2: Import fans will relish this article saying the Japanese are storming ahead.
3: Someone will "troll" and spark another verbal war.
4: Someone will make a valid point somewhere in the middle.
5: Valid point will be subsumed by war of words and original article will be forgotten.
Joking aside, this is good news. Hybrid do consume less petrol and less petrol consumption is going to be good news for the environment. I never quite understood Carlos Ghosn's stance about how "Hybrids make no business sense". If they make no business sense, why make one? What everyone seems to forget is that in addition to slashing costs at Nissan, he brought them up to business speed by making and selling Pick-up trucks and SUV in Canton, Mississppi. That was fine until that market started to decline and now Nissan are the only "Japanese" import (Please note the inverted commas) losing market share.
Anyway, my point is this, this poll is an encouraging step towards cleaner burning car. Whether you care to admit it, or not, the world is very annoyed that the United States is not in the Kyoto Protocol and believe the Americans to be lazy, SUV driving, petrol heads. This will show the world otherwise! :O)
Let the trolling begin!
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Source1 3:52PM (4/14/2006)
Yeah and 50% don't want one!
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Bill 3:53PM (4/14/2006)
An efficient, CDi turbo diesel would suit my driving needs and patterns better.
Bring them on.
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Bill 4:01PM (4/14/2006)
ToyotaLover,
Since you brought it up..
Thanks for calling Americans lazy.
It wasn't us tearing Paris apart for the last 3 weeks because we don't want to work, and expect our first job out of college to be our job-for-life.
You started the trolling buddy! Happy Weekend everybody!
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ToyotaLoverUK 4:06PM (4/14/2006)
Bill, maybe Americans are a bit stupid? Re-read my comment again. I was DEFENDING the United States! Bloody hell!
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Steve 4:20PM (4/14/2006)
Re Post 1
Aahhhhh the Kyoto Protocol - interesting piece of Global Wealth Redistribution planning, masquerading as environmental protection. Has anyone, in the developed world, actually read this garbage without realizing that it basically is an extortion agreement where any wealthy, productive nation (and as defind by the protocol, there really is only one) needs to spend a bundle either reeling in their growth, or paying off the third world? One guess who would end up getting slaughtered in that deal. Clinton wouldn't sign it, Bush shouldn't, and hopefully it goes away, as most of the other participants are losing interest since the cash cow is out of the deal.
The only way an agreement like Kyoto could possibly make sense is if you held all countries to the same production weighted standard, developed or not. If a country struggled to meet the standards, then instead of punishing them, let the U.N. contribute to them to help them modernize. I heard Kofi's son has a few extra bucks to prime the pump.
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Source1 5:18PM (4/14/2006)
Canada won't even sign that crap. When Canada won't sign a green treaty, well...ummm.....something about denmark anyway
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Charles S 5:21PM (4/14/2006)
Personally, talking about Kyoto is like beating a dead horse. Yet, on the other hand, what has USA done to really curb pollution? Since Bush became President, old EPA rules are relaxed to benefit big businesses, despit local protests.
If Kyoto was going to be such a waste of money, how is today's soaring energy prices save people, businesses any money? Gee, I wonder if CONSERVATION, a concept that Cheney smacked aside, would have shielded us against price spikes. Using less energy would have been an important tool in reduction of pollution.
Going around, spinning lies and tell people that environmentalism equates to waste of money, yet at the same time, this administration give away taxpayer's money to oil and nuclear companies, which do not even need them in the first place.
Here we are, sweating about Iran having nuclear weapons, but then at the same time, giving away US nuclear technology to India? Oh, Iran may bomb Isreal, but don't forget that India is just as likely nuke the heck out of Pakistan.
Most Americans know next to nothing about US's energy and environmental policies, and sadly, they will never be informed enough to do anything useful with their votes. We can argue forever on this and solves nothing.
Don't care about pollution, CO2 emissions? Fine by me. Personally, crap really need to hit the fan before anyone will care for the environment anyways. Heck, the whole point of the new interest in hybrids has nothing to do with emissions! Let everything fall apart! Seems like that's the only thing the general masses can understand.
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Richard Warren 5:32PM (4/14/2006)
#2 That would be 43% don't seem to want one, and I think that is becuase there will always be a portion of the population that does not enjoy change or understand change. I think it's great that 57% think it's a good idea.
But we also really need to look at a "real solution" we need to understand what we do with the additional toxic chemicals from the batteries, etc: that will be generated.
We just have to remember that everything has a trade off. It reminds me of a Caterpillar print ad in the late 50's. "There are no easy answers, only intelligent solutions"
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Charles S 6:12PM (4/14/2006)
"additional toxic chemicals from the batteries, etc"
I'm not targetting anyone in specific, but the issue with batteries is really nitpicking. Let's see the forrest instead of the trees.
The anti-hybrids crowd can always pick on something about hybrids; if it's not money, then it's the environment. If anti-hybrid crowd is so pro-environment, I guess they should stop driving and only ride bikes to work, cause whatever non-hybrid vehicle they are driving, contains plenty of toxic chemicals, too! Oh, don't forget to throw away all the electronics and computers, cause there are A LOT of toxic material in those than all the batteries in hybrids combined!
Thanks to truck and SUVs that never carries any load, wasting all the gasoline, hybrids would NEVER be this popular in the first place! Instead of billions people spent in auto industry, forcing everyone to take public transportation certainly would free us from all the wasted energy and will reduce pollution and toxic materials! I guess anit-hybrid must mean that they are pro-public transportation!
Hybrid is NOT the solution, but it is the first step for us to reduce our consumption of oil. EV would be the next step. Heck, if in the future we all can drive on compressed air, that's great! Til that day comes along, nitpicking on hybrids is pointless. We either let all the gas-guzzlers keep on wasting gas and hold us all hostage to gas prices, or we can start moving toward a sustainable society.
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John Flou 6:46PM (4/14/2006)
Unless and until The Manufactureres and designers of the , obviously good concept, hybrid vehicle, can determine and control the fate of the batteries, Including recharge AND replacement. The expense will over ride the desired reduction in operating cost of such vehicles.. It is , after all, not ONLY the savings in the oil products, but over all cost of operation that , I think , will make such a vehicle become a production success!
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Richard Warren 6:46PM (4/14/2006)
Charles, I mention that simply because it's our nature to jump on a quick solution, then we often pay the consequence later. My point is, lets get the plans in place to deal with the problem.
Battery makers do a pretty good job with lead acid, about 97% now get recycled. I'm sure the same will be the case here, lets not just wait and in 10 years say "Wow, look what happened"
I'd consider a Hybrid if the size and performance met my needs and I think they are a great idea.
And actually Charles I walk or ride my bike 90% of the time to my business, it's great for staying in shape and saving fuel. I'm also pro public transportation if it works well.
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glacia00 7:47PM (4/14/2006)
Great post. I had little doubt this was the case in spite of the fact that the US car industry seems steadfast against hybrids. Before anyone even tries to bring up the 30mpg it's a joke. The only reason Ford could possibly have had for creating this thing is so they could claim Americans don't want hybrids.
And before anyone slams me as a Japanese car lover...I have never owned a foreign car and my last 2 cars were Fords. However I won't be able to claim that for my next car. I grew up but the US car industry didn't.
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St?ane Dumas 8:43PM (4/14/2006)
Strange then Gallup didn't included others alternatives like natural gas, propane and biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) in the poll.
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jayjay 9:41PM (4/14/2006)
Just to correct an assertion waaaay up there, Canada in fact did sign Kyoto, as did the US ( under Clinton).
Canada also ratified the Convention ( as, of course, the US did not). Canada is legally bound to reach the targets it set itself. I believe only the US and Australia have not ratified, although I stand to
be corrected.
The new government in Canada,elected this year,cannot legally back out of Canada but is slashing climate change research and other funding so that may be what the person above was thinking of.
Regards,
Working Stiff
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MikeUF 10:12PM (4/14/2006)
The poll is honestly BS....people are saying that because most people dont want to say we hate the enviroment. But honestly if 50% of Americans are interested in hybrids, why is Honda cutting back production of the Accord Hybrid.
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CH 10:38PM (4/14/2006)
MikeUF, you misunderstand. 57% of the poll respondents said they would consider a hybrid (among other vehicle choices), not they plan to purchase one.
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Guardian 8:55AM (4/15/2006)
Quote: MikeUF
"The poll is honestly BS....people are saying that because most people dont want to say we hate the enviroment. But honestly if 50% of Americans are interested in hybrids, why is Honda cutting back production of the Accord Hybrid."
If you would read the article you'd know why honda was cutting back the production of the accord hybrid. It's because it's a V6 and the general public doesnt view it as being as efficient as others with 4-cyl engines(e.g. prius, civic).
They're cutting back production because people WANT hybrids, just not one's for increased performance. they want increased efficiency.
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GateGuardian 9:05AM (4/15/2006)
Quote: MikeUF
"The poll is honestly BS....people are saying that because most people dont want to say we hate the enviroment. But honestly if 50% of Americans are interested in hybrids, why is Honda cutting back production of the Accord Hybrid."
If you would read the article you'd know why honda was cutting back the production of the accord hybrid. It's because it's a V6 and the general public doesnt view it as being as efficient as others with 4-cyl engines(e.g. prius, civic).
They're cutting back production because people WANT hybrids, just not one's for increased performance. they want increased efficiency.
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Steve 10:42AM (4/15/2006)
Re: Kyoto / Working Stiff
I stand corrected. My poor choice of words does not change the essence of my assertion, though. Gore signed the protocol, after the U.S. Senate voted unanimously not to ratify without significant changes to the impact on developing countries and not if it would harm the U.S. economy. The signature alone is mostly symbolic, as the protocol is non-binding over the U.S. unless ratified.
For more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol
Quick question on the situation in Canada: If they don't meet the requrements of the protocol, or try to back out, you mention that they face legal sanctions - how does that work? Where is the court, who goes on trial, who administers the fines, etc? If this whole operation is U.N. administered, then the countries that ratified deserve what they get. The crookedness of that organization make the Bush admin look like Boy Scouts.
All that said, reducing fuel consumption, pollution, waste, etc., are good things, and if hybrids move us in the right direction, I hope they are embraced. I am especially interested in the hybrid hydraulic launch technology that Ford is developing for trucks. It looks like it could make a significant impact for busses, garbage trucks, delivery vehicles, etc.
I wonder if all the Americans "interested" in hybrids would be interested in living in homes that are 25% smaller - now that would save some serious fuel!
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