March 4th, 2011
Over at the Standard, I’ve got a longish riff on the new Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf sales numbers. If you had to guess, how many units these two cars sold in February, what would you pick?
Whatever you’ve got in your head, you’ll be blown (away) by the answer.
Also at the Standard I’ve got a piece on the theory of “induced demand” in traffic engineering. It’s less boring than you think!
Jason O. March 4, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Unless Congress enacts a big federal gasoline tax, and enforces $5+ per gallon pump prices, alternative propulsion vehicles will continue to be a loss-leader and a way for OEMs to trumpet their green bona fides while trying to crank out as many (highest profit per unit) pickup trucks and SUVs as they can, particularly in this possibly-no-longer-fledgling recovery.
Higher gas prices will take some pickup/SUV sales away, but the average consumer knows that the price of gas fluctuates.
If you buy a hybrid or an electric, you have to drive it for 8-10 years to recoup the purchase price premium over a gasoline comparable vehicle even if the price of gas stays at $3.25/gal for the entire ownership term.
Ze Germans are outflanking us again, they will have diesel options for all models with 2 years and pretty soon (less than 5 years) they’re gonna have common rail turbodiesels that get 45-50 mpg…with nice torque off the line and passing performance. GM and F have the technology in their European divisions but are sitting on it.