http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...41/TOC01ARCHIVE "Hybrids are still hot stuff - registrations rose 34.8 percent in the first seven months of the year to 144,377 units, according to R.L. Polk & Co. But most of the heat is generated in the Golden State ... California accounts for about 13 percent of the U.S. registrations but makes up more than a quarter of the market for hybrids..."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VinceDee @ Oct 5 2006, 06:38 AM) [snapback]328390[/snapback]</div> Heck, the article was positive overall. I've got no problem with that statement. Probably a kernel of truth there. I doubt, however, if the prius is a "fad"..
Prii are a fad if you don't have one, and if you do have one you are a forward looking early adoptor.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MarinJohn @ Oct 5 2006, 10:10 AM) [snapback]328505[/snapback]</div> That sounds about right to me.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VinceDee @ Oct 5 2006, 06:38 AM) [snapback]328390[/snapback]</div> I guess CA is a fad... that is why CA is the 6th most valuable "country" in the world. Oh yeah, I am officially renouncing CA from the Union for being backward thinking.... :lol:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dipper @ Oct 5 2006, 05:31 PM) [snapback]328672[/snapback]</div> That's because we're the best at mining the slave population of Mexico, which will be our undoing when they annex us.
Surprised no one has mentioned the fact that California is one of the very few States in the Union that have an HOV lane program for hybrid vehicles that could have also contributed to those figures.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NineToez @ Oct 5 2006, 10:33 PM) [snapback]328835[/snapback]</div> There are 20 states plus DC which have HOV lanes (but not all allow hybrids solo). There seem to me to be at least 3 types of hybrid buyers those who firmly believe it is our duty to support new tech which will one day relieve us from dependence on oil those who want the cheapest way to travel a mile those who want the HOV privlege
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NineToez @ Oct 5 2006, 10:33 PM) [snapback]328835[/snapback]</div> the other area with HOV exemptions would be DC which no doubt contributes to Virginia being high on the list. in WA state, there is a mandate here that all government fleets use vehicles with alternative fuels if one exists that will fit the need. that increases awareness to the consumer here. hybrids qualify and the Prius is the runaway choice.
I suspect that most of the folks involved with creating AutoWeek's editorial content don't have a hobby that isn't reliant on gasoline. They're Michigan-based, also, and they sometimes flirt with being a mouthpiece for the domestic industry, and manufacturers who -- in general -- place an emphasis on styling and performance and rugged individualism and ignore or refute logic/golbal responsibility/effeminacy (think Chrysler and Nissan, for example). That's been my experience, anyway, and I've called it to their attention on more than one occasion. I'm in a feisty mood this morning, but sometimes I think they see the Prius as a feminine car. With its surprising performance, practicality, economy, and environmental friendliness, it threatens their sense of masculinity (which even 510hp pickup trucksor 210mph Bugattis struggle to bolster sufficiently). reeeeeerrrrrrrr!!!!
My theory is...all of us California imports should get in our prii and move back to where we came from with our cars and cutting-edge attitudes and speed up the critical thinking process of the rest of the country. I can see the headline in 6 months "County Makes Giant Leap Forward From 19th Century Thinking Directly To 21st Century, Skips 20th Century Alltogether"
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MarinJohn @ Oct 6 2006, 08:21 AM) [snapback]328968[/snapback]</div> Not to mention Environmental/Global Warming-A Big reason
I went to Newport Beach CA for work a few weeks ago. Everywhere I looked, there was a Prius. :blink: I couldn't believe it. There's a decent amount in the Chicago area, but in Cali, they're all over.
