Hey Prius drivers.... feel good about THIS!

Like Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Billy Joel, Bill Maher, Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba and many others, pretty much every hybrid driver I've met... Prius drivers (like those listed here) in particular, are all proud to drive one because they are concerned and have made a commitment to help protect our environment.

New York Times correspondent Micheline Maynard wrote: “The Prius has become, in a sense, the four-wheel equivalent of those popular rubber issue bracelets in yellow and other colors—it shows the world that its owner cares.” (New York Times, July 4, 2007).

Yes... Prius drivers "care".

But what exactly do they care about?

Fuel economy, of course! In fact, a whole 36 percent of Prius owners stated "higher fuel economy" as their main reason for driving one.

Wow... 36%!

That begs the question: why does everyone else drive one?

Well, 57% said they purchased a Prius because it “makes a statement about me”.

(Incidentally, this got me to wondering... why did the other 7% buy one? Certainly not for it's great looks or superior performance.)

I'd venture a guess and say that the people listed above weren't thinking about saving a few $ at the pump when they bought their Prius' since their weekly income is likely more than I make in a whole year. So I'll go out on a limb and put them into the "57%" category.

So what exactly is the "statement" that the Prius makes about it's owner?

That he or she is environmentally concerned and is taking steps to show he or she has made a commitment to protect and conserve our natural resources.

Of course. That makes perfect sense.

Or maybe the statement that 57% of Prius owners want their car making for them is "all the cool people have one, so I want one too!" (That herd of sheep mentality worked pretty good in high-school... and it seems to work among adults as well.)

Or maybe, the real statement the Prius is making for it's owner is "I support Toyota's labor practices and the conditions under which the Prius and other Toyota vehicles are made in Japan".

What labor practices and working conditions? The ones that almost everyone, celebrities included, know virtually nothing about.

These ones:

Low wage temps: a full one-third, or 10,000 Toyota assembly line workers, are low wage temp and subcontract workers who earn less than 60 percent of what full time workers do. Temps have few rights and are hired under contracts as short as four months.

Overworked to death: Mr Kenichi Uchino died of overwork at Toyota’s Prius plant when he was just 30. He was routinely working 14-hour shifts and putting in anywhere from 107 to 155 hours of overtime a month—at least 61 ½ hours of which were unpaid. Toyota said the hours were “voluntary” and therefore not paid. Mr. Uchino left behind his young wife, a one-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. The Japanese people even have a word for being overworked to death: “karoshi.” An estimated 200 to 300 workers a year suffer serious illness, depression and death due to overwork.

Sweatshops and human trafficking: Toyota’s parts supply chain is riddled with sweatshop abuse, including the human trafficking of tens of thousands of foreign guest workers—mostly from China and Vietnam—to Japan, where they are stripped of their passports and forced to work grueling hours seven days a week, often earning less than half the legal minimum wage. Sixteen-hour shifts, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight are common.

Linked to Burmese Dictators: Toyota—through the Toyota Tsusho Corporation which is part of the Toyota Group—is involved in several joint business ventures with the ruthless military dictators of Burma, which put revenues into the pockets of the dictators who use it to repress Burma’s 50 million people.

Toyota criticized by the ILO: The UN/International Labor Organization points to Toyota’s suppression of freedom of association at its plant in the Philippines as “an illustration of how a multinational company, apparently with little regard for corporate responsibility, has done everything in its power to prevent recognition and certification of the Toyota Motor Company Workers Association.” (ILO Working Group, December 2003.)

You can read all the details on the National Labor Committee website HERE.

Misinforming the masses!

Misinformation, and hypocrisy... all from the world's favorite hybrid!

Jeroen Verhoeven, a car efficiency campaigner for "Friends of the Earth Europe" has coined a new phrase: "greenwash" advertising.

It all started when Toyota ran an ad in a Belgian magazine for the Prius in which they included the phrase "zero emissions low". There were two small problems with that ad. First, the ad in question did not include any CO2 emission or fuel consumption data, as is required under Belgian law. Second, Toyota's claim is an outright lie!

While there's no denying the fact that the Prius is economical, there's absolutely no way justify saying it has "zero emissions" since it runs on gas. It's got a tailpipe, after all... so obviously something is emitted. So why is Toyota lying like that?

In Jeroen Verhoeven's own words:

"Car manufacturers are using 'greenwash' advertising to confuse consumers whilst at the same time blocking EU proposals for a target of 120g CO2/km by 2012. If Toyota is serious about reaching 'zero emissions' anytime soon then why are they blocking a 2012 target?"

You can read the whole article HERE.

Diesel station wagon? Cool? You bet!

Honestly now, is this not a great looking car?

Admittedly, not everyone loves a wagon, and some people just don't like zee Germans, but still... this Jetta is one sweet looking ride.

For all the people who used to use the "I can't buy a compact car, I have to buy an SUV to fit my _______ stuff" excuse when shopping for a new vehicle, Volkswagen presents the Jetta Sportwagen.

Why are I talking about it here though? Because not only does this wagon looks great, but early estimates put the fuel consumption somewhere around 40-45 miles per (US) gallon. That's roughly 48-54 miles per (Imp) gallon. Or 5.88-5.22 liters/100km.

Yes, it's a diesel. But you can forget the old stereotypes about diesels being noisy, smelly, and spewing sooty black smoke. The latest generation of turbo-diesels from Europe are as clean and as quiet as an equivalent gasoline engine, with similar tailpipe emissions.

Performance wise, the 2.0L puts out 140 hp and a very impressive 258 lb-ft of torque. You'll be able to load this wagon to the gills and it'll still go without much effort at all. Mate that power-plant to the 6-speed gearbox (manual or DSG automatic) and the usual German "feel" and you've got a potentially fun car beneath you.

To read more, as well as see a few more pictures, click HERE.

"Our most realistic way to go green is to reduce size"

So says Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of FIAT.

In Europe the groundwork for the acceptance of this idea is already there. Europe is full of small cars. The "big" cars over there are almost exclusively high-end vehicles, as opposed to North America where any middle class worker can go out and buy a five or six thousand pound SUV. Up until recently it was the in thing to do. Nowadays, the average middle class car buyer couldn't afford the gas needed just to get that SUV home.

But I digress.

In an interview with l'Hebdo Mr Marchionne spoke about the future of cars. I've done my best to provide a reasonably accurate translation.

Let us speak about the car of the future. What are the technologies that will triumph?

Several are in competition. we talk a lot about hybrids, but I feel they should only be reserved for the high-end vehicles. The hybrid engines are very expensive and they take a lot of space. It's thus impossible to put them in small, cheap cars. In short, it is not really a solution with a future.

And engines functioning with hygrogen, thanks to a fuel cell? Nicolas Hayek, the owner of Swatch Group is developing some. He believes that it is the solution of the future. And you?

If one places the future by 2020, then perhaps. If the engines with hydrogen become a commercially viable and especially impeccable technology in the field of safety, I am convinced that it will be a revolution in the automobile sector. Everyone will adopt it quickly. And FIAT more quickly still than the others. We are flexible enough to do it. However, the technological challenges are considerable. I think that the probability of the development and mass production of the electric motors is undoubtedly higher than that of the engines with hydrogen.

And in the shorter term, on which technologies should the manufacturers bet on?

Current engines. We need to go towards smaller vehicles, with reduced cubic capacities. It is the only credible means to reduce the CO emissions quickly. FIAT is therefore committed to having the most efficient cars of the world in terms of CO emissions by 2012. Our engagement on this point is total.

Smaller cars and engines… do you really believe that you will convince the customers?

Mentalities change. One notices it with the success of our new FIAT 500. Today, social status is no longer defined by having an enormous car, but a smaller and more ecological car. Look at the campaigns launched against the large 4X4s. In any case, when one passes one of these monsters on the highway with only one person inside, one can only think: this is wasting energy, this is useless pollution, this is stupid. In any case, the majority of the current vehicles have too much power for what one does. It is thus rational to reduce this power.

That also means that current perceptions need to be drastically changed, doesn't it?

That's our challenge. We must make the small cars sexier, more attracting, more exciting. This is what is already occurring.

A man after my own heart!

The automotive landscape of the world is changing at an unprecedented pace. The countless closures (and imminent retooling) of truck and SUV plants across North America is testament to this fact.

I say "bring it on!"

Diesel Power Dominates LeMans

Audi has done it again!

Despite the diesel-powered Peugeot 908 being substantially faster than the diesel powered R10 TDI, Audi's "slow and steady"strategy payed off, giving them yet another LeMans win, bringing their total to 8 (in 10 starts). It's also the 3rd victory for the TDI R10 in three starts since it was introduced in 2006.

I have to say that it's great to see two fantastically beautiful cars battling each other for top honors at the world's premiere endurance race, both powered by engines developed by manufacturers who aren't afraid to try different technologies and push those technologies to their extremes.

The low, unobtrusive rumble of the diesel engines barreling down the straights of Circuit de la Sarthe was also amazing! I just wish I could have been there to witness it.

While we can't get Peugeots in North America (yet), we can buy Audis. Unfortunately, they don't sell their TDI powered cars here... again, yet! I'm fairly certain they'll be here one day though and given how they love showing off diesel-power, I'd bet we'll be seeing TDI Audis on this continent much sooner than later. And it won't be just their run-of-the-mill sedans either. Audi will soon be selling a 2.0L TDI TT coupe and convertible in Europe and by the numbers I've seen so far, it won't be any slouch. One hundred & seventy horsepower, while respectable, is nothing to write home about... but 258 lb-ft of torque is enough to pique my interest. That power-plant is enough to get you from 0 to 62 mph is just 7.5 seconds. Again, hardly a number to make your heart race... but still, very impressive when you factor in the final bit of information: it will do all that while still getting over 44 miles per gallon (combined Euro cycle).

And it's dead-sexy to boot!

So congratulations to Audi and Peugeot for putting on a phenomenal show at LeMans this year, as well as for putting diesel power in the spot-light and showing that it's not just for farmers tractors anymore!

How Many Miles (or Kilometeres) Until That Hybrid Starts Paying Off?

As a follow up to the comparison article I wrote about the Toyota Camry last month, I present someone else's viewpoint. AutoblogGreen.com did some similar math with 15 different pairs of vehicles, ranging from the ultra-economic Prius, to the barely-worth-the-effort GMC Yukon.

Is going green worth your money? At best you'd have to drive 97,000 highway miles (over 156,000 kms) before your Civic Hybrid starts saving you some coin. Even driving in the city, where a hybrid supposedly shines, you'd have to drive that Civic over 86,000 miles (138,000 kms) before the hybrid premium was paid off.

What about the Camry? Three hundred thousand highway miles! That's nearly half a million kilometers... City driving is much better in this case at least. You'd only need to cover 70,000 miles (112,000 kms) to break even.

GM products like the Tahoe/Yukon hybrids are an utter joke in this test. You'd need to cover 180,000 miles (290,000 kms) in the city to pay off the extra cost of "going green". The funniest part of that joke is that GM is actually supremely proud of these hybrids and plans to start marketing them hardcore.

Read the rest of the article here.

The writing is on the wall...

I don't know whether to admire the blind tenacity with which the American auto-makers cling to the past, or simply shake my head with bewilderment.

The time when it was cool to drive the biggest, baddest SUV or truck is officially history! The proof is in the numbers. In May, the Ford F-150 was not the most sold vehicle in the United States for the first time in 17 years! Yes, every year since 1991 Ford has sold more F-150s than any other automaker has sold any model. Last month it was outsold by not one, not two... but four other vehicles, all of which are paragons of longevity, economy, and quality. Honda's Civic and Accord, as well as Toyota's Corolla and Camry all sold more in May than Ford's F-150.

And I say it's about time!

Finally, people have woken up and started to make responsible choices. People are slowly realizing that the 12mpg dinosaur in their driveway isn't making them "cool" any more. The average, intelligent consumer no longer admires those SUVs and full-size pickups that everyone wanted to drive to the grocery store just a few years ago.

And it wasn't only Ford that slipped up. All the brands that rely heavily on truck and SUV sales for their numbers had a horrible May. Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors all lost significants sales in May... 28%, 19%, and 30% respectively.

The biggest individual brand name loser? Hummer at -61.7%. GMC was close behind with a loss of over 38%.

That's a whole lot less SUVs we'll all be seeing on the road as time goes on. And eventually, that also means a whole lot less demand for gas, which is what the fuel companies keep telling us is the reason behind all the increases we've been subject to. A decade and a half of irresponsible vehicle buying habits is why we're now all paying between $4.50 and $5.50 per gallon of gas.

And here's where their "blindly clinging to the past" attitude really makes me wonder just how bright these people are. In an article titled "Asian Brands Outsell Big 3 In May" in the Detroit News I read this:

Floundering truck sales caused Ford's market share to fall to 15.6 percent, from 16.5 percent a year ago. The company hopes to boost demand for its trucks by offering employee pricing to everyone on F-150, F-250 and F-350 models this month, ahead of the introduction the redesigned F-150 later this year.

"We've been 31 years running the leading vehicle in that segment," Farley said. "We see this as an important merchandising strategy."

Sales of Ford's best-selling small car, the Focus, rose 53.2 percent in May to 32,579 vehicles, while sales of F-series pickups plummeted 30.6 percent to 42,973. Farley said the Focus outsold the F-series in dealer showrooms, but commercial and fleet sales gave the pickup more total sales.

Commercial and fleet sales (which are what I consider to be the only legitimate reasons to buy an F-150... not simply because someone feels a pickup is cool) are the only thing keeping the F-150 from being outsold by Ford's own economy car. And yet they don't realize that perhaps it's time to move on and start treating the North American automotive more like the rest of the world's markets? Leave the trucks to the contractors, the builders, the people that work with them, and start focusing on making quality cars instead.

And he's not the only ignorant one. From the same article:

May's sales results reflect consumers' general shift away from trucks, but the fact that four cars outsold the F-Series is mainly a reflection of record high gas prices, said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at Power Information Network, a unit of J.D. Power and Associates in Troy.

"At the end of the year, the F-150 will still be the top-selling vehicle," he said. Libby added that high gas prices, which are likely near their peak for the year, encourage people to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the Civic, while truck buyers are more likely to buy when gas prices fall and incentives increase.

Get with the program man! Gas prices aren't going to be cut in half overnight.

As one writer put it... "gentlemen, that sound you just heard was the canary hitting the floor of your coal mine".

Hybrid drivers discriminate against blind people!

Don't shoot the messenger... I'm just sayin'.

;)

And the answer to yesterday's question is:

"We don't know."

That's all I got back from Ford, condensed to three words or less.

"Dear Mr. ******,

Thank you for contacting the Ford of Canada Customer Relationship Centre. We received your message sent on 6/2/2008 regarding your inquiry on future models.

Ford of Canada makes every effort to maintain a high standard of quality control in our manufacturing process. We pride ourselves on becoming the world's leading consumer- company for automotive products and services."

Ok, they got the obligatory back-patting out of the way. Nothing unusual there.

"From time to time, vehicle models are added, deleted or modified. Decisions to make these changes take into account factors such as market trends, customer demands, engineering advances, and dealership input.

At the Customer Relationship Centre, we are not notified in advance of changes that our Engineering and Design Team may be making and the specific reasons that the changes may be made in the future. We have documented your comments for future reference."

All that to say "we don't know". I noticed they didn't give me an email to contact the people that make the decisions. I'm going to have to work on getting that on my own I guess. At least they're keeping my query on file. It's a good thing. If enough people ask "hey, why aren't we getting the really fuel efficient cars?" the people whose job it is to take note of the 'market trends, customer demands' criteria she referred to will have something to work with.

"If you have any other inquiries or concerns, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to address them.

Thank you for contacting Ford of Canada.

Sincerely,
******
Ford of Canada
Customer Relationship Centre"

Well, it was worth a shot.

The thing is, Ford has already announced that they're bringing the Fiesta (the hatchback model even!) to North America. Read more about that HERE.

Unfortunately, there's no mention in the autoblog.com article as to whether or not they intend to make the Duratorq diesels an option. It might not be for everyone, but 4.4L/100km (65MPG) sounds awfully nice to me. Not to mention the fact that that Fiesta is one of the best looking hatchbacks out there right now... 2-doors or 4. (Gallery at autoblog.com)

So, why AREN'T we getting the fuel efficient cars in North America?

We have to face the facts: North America is a gluttonous society. "Bigger is better" is a mindset that has been deeply entrenched, especially in the automotive world. Virtually every model sold in North America is bigger today that it was 10 years ago. And even back then, chances are they were bigger than they were a decade before that.

Bigger cars... bigger engines... more horsepower.... it all adds up. Now, I'll admit, I love horsepower. But I do not need a 340+hp sedan for my daily commute. Nobody does.

Even a car on the smallest end of the scale, the Mazda Miata/MX-5, has been on the "Super-Size Me!" diet since day 1. When it was first sold in North America it weighed just 2072 pounds (940kg). Today it weighs 2508 pounds (1138kg). That's over 20% heavier! Agreed, some aspects of the latest generation MX-5 are likely better than the first models that were sold... specifically, a 2008 is undoubtedly safer than the 1990 model. But what about the mileage numbers? Surely 18 years of technological improvements netted some improvements there?

1990 Mazda Miata - 1.6L: 24MPG (combined) on Regular Unleaded
2008 Mazda MX-5 - 2.0L: 24 MPG (combined) on Premium Unleaded

Eighteen years and we're still right where we started? Only now I have to pay for Premium? Something just isn't right with that.

It's a horrible cliché... but how would you feel if your computer today performed no better than it did in 1990, yet cost twice as much to buy?

It's time we start thinking responsibly. Is that likely to happen? Eventually, yes. Unfortunately, a revised mindset is nowhere near imminent. It'll get here one day though... but only if we push for it. Ask yourself: Why do I see more F-150 commercials from Ford than Focus ads? And why is the 2.0L Focus the most economical Ford available to me, when other countries can buy smaller, more fuel efficient Fords that get nearly twice the mileage?

I asked Ford:

What I'd like to know is when will Ford start selling the truly economical models in North America?

The newest Focus available here in Canada gets an average of 7.1L/100km. In Europe, not only do they offer models similar to that, but they also have diesel models available to buy which get 5.5L/100km or LESS... as low as 4.3L/100km.

With gas prices increasing substantially on a monthly basis, I'd like to know when these models will be available to me to buy.

Also, what about the other even smaller Fords that we can't yet buy here? The European Fiesta gets 6.2L/100km on regular fuel, and as little as 4.4L/100km on diesel. And what about the Ka?

As someone looking to purchase a second vehicle strictly for daily commuting, all three of these cars are viable, and tempting options, yet not one of them is available to me. When will Ford Canada finally make these available to Canadian buyers who are looking for economical options?

If/when I get an answer I'll keep you informed.