GM wants gay community to drive Equinox fuel cell vehicle
When automakers reach out to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) community, there's always a risk involved. Just ask Ford, which had to deal with the American Family Association's boycott just for advertising in gay-centric publications. General Motors apparently doesn't care what associations like the AFA think and is reaching out to the LBGT community for its Project Driveway program that places a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Chevy Equinox in the garages of ordinary people for three month-long test drives. Travis Parman, who GayWheels.com cites as the automaker's media relations manager for the LBGT community, says "Our goal is to get Equinox Fuel Cell test drivers that are as diverse as America. And since the LGBT community tends to have a lot of early adopters, we wanted to reach out and encourage LGBT residents to apply." GM is looking for people who live in specific zip codes in New York, Washington D.C. and Southern California to apply. We're not sure if being anything but heterosexual will help your cause, but at least GM is saying it wouldn't hurt.
[Source: GayWheels.com]
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Carlos 5:37PM (4/25/2008)
Hydrogen is gay! haha sorry couldn't help myself
Reply
Flashpoint 2:22PM (4/26/2008)
So from the photo, I can infer that
#1 the man in the picture is gay...
#2 cars can be gay - and will have gay rainbow bumpers.
#3 its gay to be green? (or green to be gay)
Benfolio 5:43PM (4/25/2008)
GM should just build a Miata, or a Forrester. Instant car for gays, WHEE!
Reply
sw 5:59PM (4/25/2008)
If those are "gay" cars then I see GM's logic, the cars you listed are excellent and do what they do better than and more efficiently than most in their class.
geo.stewart 5:45PM (4/25/2008)
yes, let's pander to a special interest group with no direct correlation to automive interests.
personally, I have serious doubts as to the veracity of the statement re: 'early adopters' other than maybe a tie to environmental causes which I think as a whole there are plenty of folks to chosse from.
Does that mean they will limit the GLBT representation to 1-2% of the households selected?
Reply
DKB_SATX 6:39PM (4/25/2008)
Y'know, lots of my straight friends as me for car advice. That's certainly not a "direct correlation" to automotive interests, but we don't all drive Miatas, 3-series coupes and Foresters. We also represent more than "1-2%" of the population and are over-represented in spending in general because a smaller percentage of us have kids to support.
Perhaps GM is looking at the spending power of the gay and lesbian community when they do their "pandering?"
geo.stewart 6:59PM (4/25/2008)
according to the last census, that's about all the GLBT community represents. If you ask researchers and research institutes, its 4, maybe 5%. % is higher in San Fran, Atlanta, Asheville, NY obviously but not overall.
If its as high as 5%, having 50% of GLBTs as 'early adopters' is still not the same as 5% of lowly heteros with kids.
Of course those with kids will be carting around more stuff and getting worse mileage, so by your reckoning I can see why GM would encourage that demographic.
Purchasing power is also a moving target. Considering GLBTs will float closer to the uppermiddle class as an average, how many gay CEOs do you see? I'll grant, gays have done a good job of making inroads in the HR depts to forward their agenda and health benefits but outside that, they are not ahead of their %s.
DKB_SATX 10:48PM (4/25/2008)
CEOs are hardly a valid measure of the makeup of our society. It's an old boys' club system that has less to do with ability than with political appeal, and tall reasonably-good-looking WASP men to very well in popularity contests. How many CEOs are there out there to buy cars? GM sells WAY more cars to the middle class than they do to CEO types. That small percentage of the populace tends toward the BMW/Mercedes/Jaguar/Range Rover end of the spectrum and the few who buy Jags would probably stop if they thought about it being owned by Ford or lowly Tata.
I'm sorry that you're bitter that some companies offer health benefits to same-sex domestic partners. I'll give up my partner's benefits (that I pay more for than my straight colleagues do, thanks to tax regulations) as soon as all of the straight families are willing to give up their spousal benefits.
I think 4-5% is closer to reality for mostly-out, self-identifying homosexuals. 2-3% more are either not telling others, or in a cover marriage trying to convince themselves. 5% of the adult US population taken from a mostly middle-class demographic represents a great deal of money, whether you like it or not. It was pretty clear from the article that they're looking for a broad cross-section, they're not targeting the car exclusively to a gay and lesbian demographic.
antrow 6:16PM (4/25/2008)
Okay, they must be having low traffic on Autoblog, here we go again. Gay...Gay...Gay..., let the post spiral out of the automotive context and into meaningless banter.
As a gay man I can say that I truly am getting tired of hearing about gay this and gay that. I am almost ready to switch to the other side... well, okay, I am not really that tired of it, but you get the point.
I would like to hear more about the Jamaicans dirving Volvos, we have worn the gay card out here.
Reply
Luis 6:19PM (4/25/2008)
I'm straight and I couldn't agree more.
Yar 9:29PM (4/25/2008)
I could stomach a few articles on Jamaicans driving Volvos. Kinda sounds like one of those freaky cult flicks like Death Race 2000 or Corvette Summer.
antrow 6:22PM (4/25/2008)
Oh, you must be one of those good natured folks... Wow, more pointless banter...
I have got to find that agenda... I know I left it somewhere around here.
Reply
Ben 6:44PM (4/25/2008)
I'm sorry, I have been pushing it all over the interwebs. You can have it back, it really isn't that fun....
DanMan 6:44PM (4/25/2008)
The early adopters thing is key. GM thinks that the if the LGBT community drives it and likes it they will actually buy it. Even if its impossible to get fuel or if GM is still working the kinks out.
Reply
geo.stewart 10:06PM (4/25/2008)
GM SHOULD go after the 21-25 crowd. Get them in a GM vehicle instead of a rice burner. Let them see what GM is doing now. They are tech savvy, environmentally conscious, have 40 yrs of car buying ahead of them, and will raise the next generation of buyers.
but that's only if you are in business for the long haul.
Dan 6:56PM (4/25/2008)
I like curvy redheads, when are they going to give me diversity set asides and outreach coordinators and all the other pandering?
Reply
Dano 7:43PM (4/25/2008)
I think they're marketing to us because they know we'll keep the vehicle clean.
Reply
Randy 7:26PM (4/25/2008)
I'm gay and I love cars.....but...this is getting stupid.
Reply
joe23521 7:46PM (4/25/2008)
I find that photo almost inappropriate.
Am I reading too much into it?
Reply
J M C 3 7:55PM (4/25/2008)
I enjoy reading Autoblog for its reporting on the automobile industry.
What I don't appreciate is activists when John Neff,who ordinarily writes good articles on cars,deletes comments that challenge his social activism on this issue.
John,what's the problem?You attack everyone who disagrees with You then You delete their posts so it looks like all Your readers are marching lockstep with Your agenda?
Reply