[Vwdiesel] Rabbit droppings # 88 . ---( the Hybrid questions )

[James Hansen]

> >   Hmmm... is there politics involved?
> > Andrew

Har. Andrew. Come now...
Surely you jest....
Like 90% politics, 10% everything else mebbe?
The entire North American auto industry would be miles ahead of where they
are now if so much of their available resources were not devoted to and
lobbying for creating demand for things there was no demand for initially.
Like SUV's for instance.  Twenty years ago, ask anyone if they thought that
a toyota 4 runner was safer than a passenger car. Response would have been a
huge belly laugh.  No offense meant to the 4 runner offroaders in the crowd.
They are a use-specific vehicle, and a pretty good one at that, but to say
every soccer mom should have one because it's safer at some other task is
complete and utter bullshit that has been fed to the public that sits glued
to their televisions nightly listening to the sacred gospel of televison
advertising. It's a matter of demand created by advertising, and sold
because of the lobby to include a great number of the initial offering in
the truck emissions category, not in the passenger car requirements.  THAT
must have been some pretty impressive fast talking (or title transfer to
several resort homes in the Caymans probably).

>  VW sort of regards us as
> a cult, and I truly don't think they know how to proceed with Diesel
> development in the states.

Your statement is correct.  Remove "with diesel developement in the states"
and the statement becomes even more accurate. Volkswagen does have a pretty
good product, but have no idea how to present it in advertising when they
are up against pure and utter crap and the crap is what is outselling them.
In fact, people clamor to buy the crap as if it was better than the VW
product. This is puzzling to the logical German executive.
 The other angle that I think they feel uncomofortable with is the periodic
patriotic surge of "buy American" that pops up in the marketplace on
occasion. Imagine how cool it would be to have that waft through the
marketplace shortly after the introduction of something neat like a Lupo
release.  Could really spoil their day I think. Since all the cars they make
sell in Europe, it matters not very much to them to educate anyone too much
about why they should buy better cars.


>     I guess the key is how determined the interest is.

And if it isn't too late for it to happen, the EPA in Kalifornia has to
place both hands, palm side up on top of their shoulders next to their ears
and push up quickly and firmly. This should serve to remove their head from
where it's been since the 70's and maybe the onrush of fresh air would help
them to make better decisions regarding what are environmental emissions and
what are political emissions.

-James