Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid: Green Car of the Year award winner

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(micheal @ Nov 17 2007, 12:26 AM) [snapback]540827[/snapback]</div>

Absolutely. I do think Toyota missed the mark on the HiHy. For my needs I would choose the Ford Escape over the Toyota offering in a minute. Of course, after suffering through 8 yrs of Ford Service I would honestly go with the Mazda version if it were available. If anybody shows up with a decent 30mpg minivan I don't think it will matter who it is, there will be a lot of us standing in line.

Rob

 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/emeraldcit...a-says-the.html

... But I was shocked when Bob Carter, vice president and general manager of Toyota, said at the news conference that consumer demand here is still about conventional trucks and SUVs, and declared that "many buyers have no alternative" to these. Then he went on to talk about how Americans "need" trucks and SUVs because we the people are so active and outdoorsy.

Um, are we talking about the same Americans here? Who are these mysterious Americans who "need" SUVs to enable them to undertake constant arduous physical activities? It's no secret that the majority of us in the U.S. are overweight, if not obese. We're not hiking and climbing and camping and Kayaking. We're sitting in front our TVs eating Cheetos...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rob Smith @ Nov 17 2007, 02:48 AM) [snapback]540833[/snapback]</div>

Definitely. When the HiHy first came out, I thought, well Toyota showed them a hybrid could have some uumph and get decent mileage, the next year will have a mileage geared more for mpg than hp. Lo and behold four model years later and still no 4cylinder version and still at a significant premium.

I hear you bout the minivan, I keep hoping to just hear some news of someone planning one, yet nothing. Especially disconcerting since Toyota already has a hybrid minivan over seas. A real world 30mpg minivan would be a hot seller. As would I think a 35 mpg Rav4. But Toyota keeps dragging their feet on these projects it seems like.

 

Mazda Tribute only seats 5 btw. No different than Escape or Mariner in number of passengers.

 

I agree with the belief structure that GM has a tail----
their world is short term profit over society. An additional thing to
thank them for is the destruction of the metropolitan trolley system
in the US after the war.....

raising the mpg from disgusting to repugnant on a vehicle like the tahoe
is like putting a wedding dress on a hooker.

I believe that GM has convinced the american public that they are safer in a
larger car--that's the reason a young woman who works for me bought a huge
tahoe after recently having a baby--so a couple and a baby ride about in a tank size
vehicle on the weekend and she still commutes 70 some miles aday in it to work
by herself.

There are ranchers and farmers here in new mexico that really need a commerical vehicle
but the majority i see burn gas and carry a sheet of plywood and a few bags of dirt every once
in awhile......

Froley

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Nov 16 2007, 01:57 AM) [snapback]540397[/snapback]</div>

The Truth of the matter is that SUV's as commuter vehicles were non-existant before 1980. And then the car companies came up with a way to get people to spend much more money on cars than they ever had before. Its been documented that the marketing that won Americans over to SUV's took advantage of the latest phsycological and scientific research of the time.

The truth is that SUV's were used primarily by rural living people up to 1980. Does anybody remember the movie "The Three Days of the Condor" from the 70's ? Do you remember how odd that SUV Robert Redford was driving looked amoungst all the cars in the downtown driving scenes? I do. It was the only SUV.

Do you remember why Robert Redford's CIA cell was assasinated by the CIA ? Its come to pass, and not OT.

 

I'm sorry, I just don't see anything "GREEN" about this beast.......... what a waste <_<

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Nov 18 2007, 04:00 PM) [snapback]541282[/snapback]</div>

Jurassic Park was most responsible for the recategorying.

That was the very first major motion picture to refer to a SUV as a "car" implying that it was just like a traditional family mover.

Ford was quite clever with that product placement. I was upset, knowing it was an effort to make a truck appear to be something new for a much wider consumer market.

 

I have a strong feeling that Toyota is "letting" Ford have that small SUV hybrid market. There were some licensing agreements between Ford and Toyota regarding Ford's hybrid technology. It just seem too convenient that Ford has a small hybrid SUV and Toyota doesnt.