CNN website lists hybrids as economically unjustified

Once again funny math and strange calculations of vehicle value permeate the same media sources that say the sky is falling and that the Bush administration is going to secretly wire tap my phone to find out what kind of pizza I'm ordering tonight.

I'm not sure about you, but continual reporting of negative information about nearly everything along with hidden editorial in most "journalism" makes me doubt nearly every media source I read, listen to or watch. No wonder the internet and bloggers are giving network news a run for its money.

 

It's CNN, after all.

 

OK. So, if they are going to list a category of "sedan," why the heck are they listing the Camry?! The (base) Prius cost is the same as the price they list for the Camry (low $20,000), and the Camry has 24/34 EPA mileage. Even the most pessimistic estimates about the Prius mileage puts the average numbers higher than that!

I can understand the argument that, "the Prius doesn't save you money over the Corolla or a Kia Rio", but if you're going to start comparing midsize sedans, you really need to bring the Prius in.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Betelgeuse @ Apr 21 2006, 03:02 PM) [snapback]243271[/snapback]</div>

I suppose to somewhat take off on this point, don't most people drive SUV's anyway? :lol:

Or older cars that are likely to no longer be as fuel efficient as they once were?

Now I'm wondering what the "average" person drives.... h34r:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Apr 21 2006, 11:29 AM) [snapback]243247[/snapback]</div>

Definitely anti-hybrid sentiment. The article has to do with good-mileage cars. Prius is one of those, like it or not. And it appears that some people still don't like it...

 

From the first paragraph of the article from CNN.com...

"For example, the most fuel-efficient car on the market today is the Honda Insight, but do you really want to buy a rough-riding two-seater with no storage space?

Do they ask this question of the Ford Thunderbird? That barely has enough storage for legs!

 

It could be worse. If the political views of the other side were incorporated, we would read that hybrids *increase* the cost of gasoline

/sic/

Anyways, the straight cost analysis depends on depreciation, future price of gasoline, and gasoline consumed over the ownership period. So CNN is only wrong for a fraction of their readership, since this is a very ymmv calculation.

Still shoddy fact gathering, but let's not mention the shrub in the same breath, OK ?

 

Could this be related??

http://priuschat.com/CNN-Help-in-DC--t18550.html

 

i find it hard to believe that anyone would still believe these claims that the hybrid premium will take a long time to recover. i have 23,000 miles on my Prius and only because gas has gone up so much lately, my LT average cents per mile has exceeded 4. (currently 4.03) my last 8 tanks have averaged around 4.5 cpm. that usually drops to 3.5 cpm in the summer, but since gas is now 2.799 (has gone up from 2.689 on Monday) and rising fast, probably will stay at about the same level for the summer.

i have purchased a total of $942 of gas since i got my Prius, i know people i work with that have spent more than that since the first of the year. i dont drive as much as most so my savings will accrue slowly. but many drivers could see a gas savings approaching $750-1000 per year.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Apr 21 2006, 05:04 PM) [snapback]243333[/snapback]</div>

The media seems to do a lot of copy-and-paste with their stories. I see it in misuse of words a lot. Monkey see, monkey do, as it were. Most of them don't drive a Prius so they wouldn't know what they're talking about anyway so they fall back on stuff that's been written or reported already. If it takes as long for them to stop parroting the hybrid premium crapola as long as it has taken to learn to use the word 'myriad' correctly, it could take quite a while. At least until the price of gasoline gets so high that hoards of people start buying Priuses regardless of that premium nonsense and realize that the premium doesn't really exist anyway.

 

These "economic costs" are at best incomplete and at worst completely misleading. Sure, the economic differences affect how much comes out of our own pockets, but the REAL environmental costs come out of our health, and our planet's ability to sustain life. Penny wise and pound foolish, I say. ALL cars are economically unjustified, if all the costs are factored in.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Apr 21 2006, 05:43 PM) [snapback]243354[/snapback]</div>

Does anone else question why CNN has become IRRELEVANT in most every national debate

 

this is an article about cars with good fuel effiency.

Somehow a $50k mercedes benz (30mpg) and a $45 corvette (20mpg) are economically justified to get good mileage while a $25k prius (50mpg) is not?

what a joke

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sanguis @ Apr 21 2006, 03:01 PM) [snapback]243367[/snapback]</div>

Guess the corvette lost value even faster than I thought... :lol: [j/k]

Oh well. Let the press do satans work, they are irrevant anyways. It is already too late, the people have already spoken, that is all it really matters.