[lbo-talk] more on fuel economy

[John Thornton]

Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
> I think this is based on your view that the SUV fad was totally manufactured
> by the marketing machine.  I disagree.  I think that there was a great deal
> of manufacturing, to be sure, but at the end the SUV marketing appealed to
> atavistic and "reptilian" instincts already existing in the human
> subconscious.  Marketing researchers merely discovered it and used it to
> their advantage, but they did not manufacture it - it was already there (my
> source on this is Keith Bradsher, _ High and Mighty: SUVs--The World's Most
> Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way_).

That's what you got from Bradsher's book?

SUV's existed long before 1990 but they sold in tiny numbers. Why the 
explosion in sales if not because of marketing? Why didn't they sell in 
large numbers because of their appeal to the atavistic reptilian instincts?

The corporations saw both tax loopholes and EPA loopholes that they 
could exploit if they CREATED a demand for SUV's so they set about doing 
just that.
Certainly powerful cars appeal to many people but desires for 
automobiles are extremely pliable and easily manipulated.
Getting people to purchase economical cars would be exceedingly simple 
if corporations decided to really market them.

For whatever it's worth hybrids hold a huge potential for performance 
vehicles. The electric motors used for propulsion offer 100% of their 
available torque at 1 RPM, something no IC engine can come close to 
matching. The real future of high performance cars lies with hybrids. 
The corporations could push hybrids as performance cars like Mustang's, 
Camaro's and their like if they wanted to.

I'd favor a vehicle tax based on MPG to "punish" Hummer buyers and 
"reward" Honda buyers. I'd even go so far as to offer tax rebates for 
people with vehicles that get above some specific MPG rating. Just 
making all vehicle use terribly expensive hurts working class people too 
much and would simply create a backlash of resentment to efforts to 
increase fuel efficiency.

John Thornton