I just read this article. It is quite slanted against the hybrid vehicles. While the author offers up some points to think about, his conclusion is dubious. His main point is that the premium price of the hybrids cannot be overcome by the savings from buying less gas. First off, these cars might cost a premium, but one would assume that they also have a greater resale value. He makes no mention of this. Second, he starts off by saying that the Prius cars are selling like crazy. He then goes on to mention other hybrid models in making his argument that hybrids are not a very good financial investment. He finally gets to the Prius model (you know, the one that was selling so well) and says that it might "save a small amount of money." Gee, he had exact figures on the money losers, but he couldn't come up with a figure on the Prius. And apparently he did not include the 2006 tax credit in his figures either. One more thing. Anyone who knows anything about new products sales knows that increased production volume leads to cheaper production costs which in turn leads to cheaper pricing, assuming adequate competition is present. The price difference between hybrids and non-hybrids will shrink quickly, especially if you consider how few hybrids are manufactured currently compared with the non-hybrids.
This is a money article, so I can understand why he did not mention how enviromental concerns would factor into a person's purchasing decision (he even absurdly recommends diesel cars). But what about this: maybe people would rather their money go to the Japanese (who last I checked were not a haven for terrorists) rather than enriching the Middle East (or the price gouging refinery companies in this country). This is a money issue, and the financial future of the people of this country could be greatly affected if enough people buy into the hybrid cars. At the very least it could stabilize demand and therefore stabilize the price of gas.
