Hybrid Cars – Eco Friendly Cars

How long has it been since you’ve seen an advertisement for an Eco-friendly car? Two, three minutes? As of late there’s been a war going on in the hybrid and diesel markets. At first there was the price war between the new Honda Insight and Toyota Prius to see who would be the cheapest. Each company doing their very best to one-up the other. Eventually Honda won this battle and beat the third-generation Toyota Prius to market on April 22, 2009. Also known as Earth Day. Although these are Eco-friendly cars, there were no friendships made in this battle and Toyota had the last laugh outselling the Insight significantly in its debut month of June by over 10,000 cars. With the government handing out $1,300 in tax incentives for these Eco-friendly cars, it’s no wonder why people are flocking to dealerships to get their hands on one.
Why hybrids? For whatever reason, Americans are in love with these little clean-machines and their clever advertising. We’ve forgotten about the diesel. Well, not entirely. Americans love a good diesel truck or tractor, but in a car? No way. Diesels are cleaner burning, more reliable and can achieve the same mpg as a hybrid without the premium cost of a hybrid (The Jetta TDI claims 41mpg on the highway whereas the Insight claims 43). The average new vehicle premium for a hybrid averages close to $5,000 compared to a $2,300 average premium for a diesel. Which means a diesel car will pay back the premium far faster than a hybrid and yet we’re still neglecting the diesel. Americans just aren’t ready for the switch to diesel. Eventually we will, but for now we will wage war on the Hybrid frontier as Toyota and Honda set the bar while the Americans now enter the fray.