Recent Comments:
Silicon Valley HUMMER dealership closes ... for now {Autoblog Green}
Mar 12th 2008 4:11PM I see 2 advantages in this move: first, they make their cars more scarce, increasing their perceived value. It will be harder to buy a HUMMER in the area, so people will want them some more.
Second, the image of GM won't be hurting by closing a dealer in California, which sounds a lot like the place you want to look green and concerned.
So, it looks like a good move1
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
U.S. gas prices rise. Yes, again. {Autoblog Green}
Mar 11th 2008 2:59PM I won't laugh. Here in Portugal, we pay 1.20€ for a litre of diesel, and about 1.40€ for a litre of unleaded. Not fun, my old 1.4 SEAT Ibiza cost me 12€ every 100 km - that's over 15 dollars every 60 miles. No wonder everyone's going Diesel these days. I know I have!
It's been a long running idea, the one that the fuel prices will eventually work well for the environment. It's working: I still think the engine driving the grenness in our cars is the price of fuel. Hybrids, more efficient Diesels, fuel cells - that's just a way of getting away from the price of petrol, by using less of it.
When anyone comes to you to ask for environmental measures that reduce emissions, tell them no. This way, the market will save the earth - mass capitalism will save us all. Funny!
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
It's Friday: fifth grader builds air-powered car for science fair {Autoblog Green}
Mar 8th 2008 6:41AM So much time and money, so many engineers. And all it took was a kid thinking outside the box. Great thinking!
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
Chevy TV commercial uses paper SUV to convince children hybrid SUVs are green {Autoblog Green}
Mar 8th 2008 6:36AM Indeed, I think the problem here is the fact that marketing is answering a need. Bigger, more powerful cars are more interesting to drive, and they also have answers other needs, like social image or carrying stuff around. You don't need a bigger car to carry the stuff. We are 4 back home, and the bigger car we've had was (is) a Golf Mk. V. Plenty of space for kids, people, stuff and the like on holidays.
But that's not really the point, is it? This isn't even trying to tell present children that, 15 years from now, they'll have to buy a big SUV. I think the whole Hybrid SUV stuff is a way to try and change society's perception of the SUV, and to lower fuel figures. Indeed, as a product they are greener than the same SUV, with the same engine, without the hybrid system.
Car makers want to keep on selling SUVs because there's more money to be made in that segment. SUV are premium, they bring a bigger profit. This is a way of trying to keep on selling an expensive item that's losing appeal. It's, if you look at it in a "moral" way, perverting a "good" technology in an "evil" product. But it's also a way of giving people want they want - and helping them deflect criticism for doing so.
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
People want green cars, they just don't want to pay extra for them {Autoblog Green}
Mar 7th 2008 6:29PM I've been writing in my blog about the marketing aspect of cars, and this just adds to what I've been saying about the Prius. Marketing a greener car doesn't excempt you from taking care of all the marketing variables! So, you have to bring real value to the customes, msut take care of having the best Product, Pricing, Promotion and Placement. Most people don't really care how environmentally good is the car, but will buy it if it's a value proposition.
Glad you chose a Prius to illustrate this!
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
Geneva 2008: Tata Nano is quite the hit {Autoblog Green}
Mar 5th 2008 6:16PM That's good. I appreciate the fact it can't be sold in Europe. It's too bad to be true! There were people out here already talking about 3 to 6 month car leasings for this thing. That would be terrible for the environment, on one hand, and for the global value of the car market, on the other. It costs me as much as the next man to buy a car - and I'm paying for mine. But I don't want to see such a waste in the streets.
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
No BS: Cow-sourced methane power in California {Autoblog Green}
Mar 5th 2008 5:18PM Yes, but will your exhaust fumes stink? :)
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
Geneva '08: Watanabe - No diesel hybrids for Toyota {Autoblog Green}
Mar 5th 2008 2:42PM This sure is surprising. I'm guessing Toyota has looked at the European market and not really seen a call for diesel hybrid. So, they'll stick to the US, who prefer (generally) gas and allows them to build cheaper engines (for instance, no direct injection). This way, they give people what they want and don't really bother with expensive stuff they can't make profitable. Toyota has just recently started making money with the whole hybrid hocus-pocus, so they'll probably take the spending easy for a while.
Problem is, market is changing really fast right now, and Toyota might lose then train in Europe. Not good when you've just proclaimed yourself the #1 car maker in the world, to lag behind. But I guess they can always catch up with the opposition.
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
VIDEO: Six countries on one tank? Welcome to diesel driving in Europe {Autoblog Green}
Mar 5th 2008 2:19PM Are they? Rumor has it that VW dumped the PD because they couldn't make it as frugal and clean as the Common-Rails.
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
Geneva 08: SEAT launches Bocanegra concept {Autoblog Green}
Mar 5th 2008 2:13PM Not green, but it sure looks cools!
Carlos Ferreira
http://www.greencarvalue.blogspot.com
