Video: Catering to the Smug Demographic
posted at 3:37 pm on November 8, 2007 by Michelle
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I think we need a new rejoinder to this smug marketing: Shut up and drive!
Hybrid SUV Commercial
Uploaded by maxsilvestri
(Via Max Silvestri - hat tips to Snapped Shot and Planet Gore)
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Thaaaaanks!
Bad Candy on November 8, 2007 at 3:40 PM
Nope – there’s no money in “Green” marketing. None. Move along. Don’t ask questions. Just hand it over. Thank you.
Editor on November 8, 2007 at 3:40 PM
They’re showing a straight guy with a kid driving it? Aren’t you required to be gay before you’re allowed to buy one like you are with the Prius?
No offence intended towards non-hybrid driving gays, of course.
Hollowpoint on November 8, 2007 at 3:44 PM
Fart-quaffer
Ochlan on November 8, 2007 at 3:45 PM
We need South Park clip to go with this, to remove the bad aftertaste.
Mindcrime on November 8, 2007 at 3:47 PM
And the MSRP is……
I don’t think I would save that much gas.
Price comparsion
LakeRuins on November 8, 2007 at 3:49 PM
This crap is still just a niche market. The other 99% of car commercials don’t usually omit how many horsepower ‘X’ car has – almost all more than the last version.
Hoodlumman on November 8, 2007 at 3:50 PM
Hey Michelle! Are your kids asking you to drive a hybrid?
Kini on November 8, 2007 at 3:51 PM
I’m gonna go right out and … let my car idle in the driveway for an hour.
Dusty on November 8, 2007 at 3:52 PM
And look at the towing capacity. For the regular Escape it is 1500 to 3500 for the Hybrid version Not Recommended. So much for that boat or U Haul
LakeRuins on November 8, 2007 at 3:52 PM
We were talking about this in the open thread the other day. It ran after the Onion News Network piece about the flying cars. Like I said then,
But Jummy’s comment was better:
see-dubya on November 8, 2007 at 3:53 PM
well the marketing pitch is downright retarded…but with regards to auto’s in particular, there IS money in green. hybrids = lower fuel cost. that’s a selling point that one can make that has nothing to do with the global warming nonsense. toyota and honda, for what its worth, really have been able to cash in on that fact.
ernesto on November 8, 2007 at 3:54 PM
Make the kid walk the whole way, and not just the last few blocks. That way she won’t use any fossil fuels at all. That’ll fix her attitude.
Mark E. on November 8, 2007 at 3:55 PM
translation:
Dad. Can you drop me off a block away. There are vicious bigots that will harass me and possibly become violent if they see you aren’t white.
Beto Ochoa on November 8, 2007 at 3:57 PM
Dang…I kinda took it a shot at the Pious and other smug emitters when I saw it on TV the other night.
TBinSTL on November 8, 2007 at 3:58 PM
Fix “her attitude”? Was that a girl? I thought it was just a chubby boy.
awake on November 8, 2007 at 3:59 PM
I have seen this commercial on TV. It smacks of NBC turning down the studio lights for the football game. A new medical condition will soon be created if this keeps up: SERS (strained eye rolling syndrome).
Mallard T. Drake on November 8, 2007 at 4:00 PM
What kind of father is dropping his kid off in such a neighborhood?
pb5000 on November 8, 2007 at 4:00 PM
Lol! I thought so, but who knows? Given that confusion, he really should make her walk or take a bike!
Mark E. on November 8, 2007 at 4:00 PM
That kid wouldn’t be very bright tho…Dang car says “Hybrid” plain as day on the tailgate.
JetBoy on November 8, 2007 at 4:02 PM
I took it the same way. It’s a 180 from the other commercial where the guy follows around the dirty polluter and then throws it in his face.
This guy just drives the car he wants, gets better gas mileage, and shuts the hell up.
askheaves on November 8, 2007 at 4:03 PM
I have two young kids. The last thing I’d do is have them or their teachers influence an auto purchase.
That aside, this is a consumer-driven economy and Ford is spending advertising dollars to make viewers feel inadequate for not owning their product. They aren’t the only company doing that.
During the oil crisis in the 70’s Detroit got its butt kicked by the Japanese. Give Ford some credit for trying to grab marketshare ahead of foreign competitors.
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 4:03 PM
“Well honey, Daddy did have a small, fuel efficient car when he was single. It was a convertble. Daddy used it to drive his surfer-girl dates to the beach and restaurants. Then he got married, had kids (you), and Mommy wouldn’t let him have his convertible any more (or the surfer girls). Mommy and Daddy decided to get an SUV so he could haul your butt and associated gear to soccer practice and piano lessons.
Basically, the reason Daddy owns this fuel-sucking SUV is because you’re alive. Daddy hopes you get over the eco-guilt one day.”
That’s a commercial I’d like to see.
Anton on November 8, 2007 at 4:04 PM
If my daughter lectured me about the environment and fuel economy and hybrid cars versus non-hybrids, I’d say, “You’re right sweetie. We definitely need to do something about this. Get out and push.”
Mindcrime on November 8, 2007 at 4:06 PM
Good commercial. I know how daddy feels. I was able to keep a convertible, but its been a long time since a surfer girl came by.
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 4:07 PM
Last year when I was getting my annual inspection and met one of these smug turds at the inspection place. His Honda hybrid had failed the immissions test.
Ha.
TheSitRep on November 8, 2007 at 4:07 PM
That would be valid, except they rarely get the gas mileage advertised, cost more upfront to buy, and the batteries have a limited lifepan and are expensive to replace. Not worth the tradeoff.
If they can make a hybrid that isn’t a gutless wonder, isn’t a lot more expensive, and actually does get significantly better gas mileage- great. Unfortunately they aren’t there yet.
Hollowpoint on November 8, 2007 at 4:09 PM
I’m going to go take the dog for a ride. Nothing else. She just likes to ride with her head and front right paw out the window.
Canadian Infidel on November 8, 2007 at 4:09 PM
[Mark E. on November 8, 2007 at 3:55 PM]
Yeah, well, the kid doesn’t care a bit about climate change. What she cares about is what her brainwashed peers might think of her because of type of car her dad owns and she fears she might be mocked mercilessly and then shunned by them. Then she’ll go in, plop down $8, and watch a bunch of carbon spewers act poorly on the big screen.
But at least she’s one rung above the Gores of the world who couldn’t care less what others think of their carbon spewing lifestyles.
Dusty on November 8, 2007 at 4:09 PM
Why do you think the dad thought he didn’t have to talk about it.
- The Cat
MirCat on November 8, 2007 at 4:11 PM
The 1970’s,dad that was so cool,far out and choice,
when you go down the street can ya smoke the tires
again in our new ss chevelle.
2007,dad is this a hybird,please don’t go down that street
because people will talk,and my teacher will find out,
and I’ll be forced to watch Al Gores inconvenient truth.
Talk about a message,so to heck with subliminal,
sounds like enviromentalists are pawning our children in commercials to push their global warming agenda.
canopfor on November 8, 2007 at 4:11 PM
Batteries are heavy too, requiring more power to move the car.
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 4:11 PM
Almost rear-ended a Prius traveling north on I-45 out of Houston several weeks ago. That thing was loaded with boxes and was struggling to go 30 mph along a stretch of highway that is posted 70 mph.
I couldn’t tell if the expression on the driver’s face was one of smugness or embarrassment. I could tell what the expression on the faces of all the other drivers was.
SailorDave on November 8, 2007 at 4:14 PM
Shut-up and take your Freeee school distributed birth control pill. Cause I never thought we’d had to talk about it.
Texyank on November 8, 2007 at 4:25 PM
That kid’s a Brat :-)
Next commercial she’ll be in the grocery store telling mommy not to buy meat or anything with the deadly trans fat.
Brat on November 8, 2007 at 4:28 PM
The $8 ticket, $4 popcorn and $3 drink would be a nice start towards a bicycle and better friends.
pedestrian on November 8, 2007 at 4:32 PM
Speaking of batteries, and the short life relative to a standard internal combustion engine, the nickel that is used to make the batteries is highly environmentally unfriendly to mine and smelt. And the batteries have to be replaced at least once before the standard engine gives out.
Plus, if you buy a hybrid to replace your internal combustion engine vehicle, in order for the hybrid to have a positive impact on emissions, you have to SCRAP your other vehicle. Not sell it to someone else who will keep burning fossil fuels.
Leonidas Hoplite on November 8, 2007 at 4:32 PM
“Hey dad, I want you to drop me off a block before we get to the theater.”
“Sure.”
“It’s just that there are a lot of eco-terrorists who hang out in that neighborhood, and I don’t want to lose you like we lost mom.”
“Well, your mother was asking for it by driving that gas whore Hummer H2. It’s no wonder they burned her alive in it.”
“Thanks for understanding, Dad.”
“Sure, honey. In fact, why don’t we pre-vandalize our SUV by spray-painting swastikas on it? We can say we were attacked by the Young Republicans.”
“You’re the coolest, Dad.”
saint kansas on November 8, 2007 at 4:36 PM
If my daughter told me that, I would have put the car in park and went back in the house.
Then she would have gotten a long lecture on just how damn lucky she is.
“People in that part of town” drive hybrids.
What bullshit.
ArmyAunt on November 8, 2007 at 4:44 PM
You’re right, that’s a pretty steep price to pay just so your kid isn’t embarrassed that you’re driving an SUV.
The original Ford Escape gets 24-28 MPG. The vastly more expensive Hybrid gets 29-34 MPG. My husband has a grueling 80 miles a day commute and it still wouldn’t be worth it:
If you average out the MPG for the Escape and the Hybrid you get 26 MPG and 31.5 MPG respectively. Going 80 miles in the Escape would use 3.08 gallons of gas; going the same distance in the Hybrid would use 2.54 gallons. That is a savings of .54 gallons a day.
At $3.00 a gallon one would save $8.10 a work week, or $405.00 a year. The difference in the base price of the vehicles is $7495 (and that does not include the additional sales tax one would incur, nor does it include that expensive battery Hollowpoint reminds us you’ll need).
I calculate that it would take us 18.5 years to break even. WOO HOO! That’s a high price to pay to save your kid from being shunned by the snotty children of global warming elitists.
Buy Danish on November 8, 2007 at 4:45 PM
Winner!!!
Brat on November 8, 2007 at 4:49 PM
I particularly liked the bit where they were supposed to sit down as father/daughter and talk about hybrids.
Daughter: How come you never talked about that before?
Father (actual line): Never thought I had to talk about it.
Father (better response): Never thought I had to talk about it considering your aren’t paying the bills.
Seriously, people are supposed to by Ford products because their kids are ashamed to be dropped off in front of a theater in a part of town where people “ride bikes and drive hybrids and stuff?”
I will say this, Ford has managed to beat out the Prius crowd for being the most cloyingly smug bunch of idiots on the planet. USA!….USA!…..USA!….
highhopes on November 8, 2007 at 4:50 PM
What a stupid commercial.
CP on November 8, 2007 at 4:55 PM
/sigh
Here comes the hybrid-hating posts I see.
I have a 2008 Escape Hybrid and I’m loving it. I’m also a conservative.
Regarding the costs, yes the hybrid is more expensive than the non-hybrid version. I wanted to buy American and support my local economy (the Escape Hybrids are assembled right here in Kansas City), so I put my money where my mouth is.
There’s a $3,000 federal income tax credit which helps offset the extra cost, assuming you’re not subject to the AMT:
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=157557,00.html
Note: don’t bother with the tax credit for the Prius. They blew through their 60,000 units quite some time ago.
Travelers auto insurance offers a hybrid discount. I’m paying less for my insurance now than I did on my previous vehicle.
My daily commute is about 70 minutes round-trip and I’m averaging 33MPG. That’s pretty close to what others are getting with it:
http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/
And before responding, please don’t lump me in with the “Man-Made Global Warming” crowd. I got my hybrid because I think the regenerative braking technology is pretty cool.
I test drove a non-hybrid V6 Escape and the hybrid’s acceleration feels comparable.
And no, I don’t go 35 in the left lane on the highway. :) My rear-view mirror works just fine and I move out of the way if I’m in the left lane and somebody is coming up behind me.
Dave Shay on November 8, 2007 at 5:08 PM
Just started and am ideling both my cars (one has a 454 in it), put the heat at 75 and for good measure fed my dog two cans of beans.
amend2 on November 8, 2007 at 5:12 PM
I think it fits that a conservative would drive a hybrid. We believe in conserving and conservation. We believe in giving as few dollars to the middle east as possible. I, like you, Dave care about the environment. Do I believe the hype about Global Warming? Not really and it doesn’t matter to me because I don’t see why it’s bad to care about the environment. I don’t drive a hybrid, but my Passat gets excellent mileage and I spend about $25 per week in gas. My husband takes the bus to work. Frankly I wish my car ran on used frying oil, like Daryll Hannah’s.
About the ad, though; this doesn’t realistically portray kids. My nieces and nephews all wanted Escalades for their 16th birthdays. My niece’s boyfriend drives one of those Escalades that’s part truck and it’s a gas hog, so does this ad realistically portray kids? Not really.
foxforce91 on November 8, 2007 at 5:16 PM
Wow. Kids have come a long way. I remember when I was a kid, on cold days my dad would encourage me to climb up in the back window of our 1969 Chrysler New Yorker Braugham and let the sun beam down on me for a few minutes. Then, God bless him, he’d make sure the windows stayed up tight so he wouldn’t freeze his little boy out while he puffed on a Winston.
Matticus Finch on November 8, 2007 at 5:20 PM
Thaaaaanks!
Bad Candy on November 8, 2007 at 5:30 PM
I’d love to own a Hybrid if they were affordable. The economics just don’t make sense right now. In a few years maybe I can pick up a used one.
Buy Danish on November 8, 2007 at 5:35 PM
It looks to me like the kid could use a little walking exercise.
saiga on November 8, 2007 at 5:36 PM
Global Warming is a scam. America’s dependence on foriegn oil is a brick wall coming at us at 70mph.
Griz on November 8, 2007 at 5:40 PM
How come people like you are never around when I’m trying to explain to somebody why it’s a waste of money to play the lottery?
inviolet on November 8, 2007 at 5:41 PM
Like Dave, I am a conservative and I worry a lot more about the millions of people expanding the population way too fast. If we could run all the illegal aliens out of here we would have much less emissions. Besides, I’m waiting for some guy to invent a car that runs on hydrogen from processed sea water. We need to stop giving those arabs so much money.
saiga on November 8, 2007 at 5:44 PM
Screw that comparison, at least there’s a chance of winning the lottery.
Seriously though, aside from hybrids being more expensive, who the hell is going to get excited about some of the hybrid SUVs that can get MPGs in the low 20s… Sure, it may be an improvement from 15 or whatever, but is it really anything to get excited about? Hell, I’m a “denier”, but my little crappy car gets around 30mpg highway. I just have trouble thinking it’s some great achievement when I see hybrid SUV commercials bragging about their mpgs in the 20s.
RightWinged on November 8, 2007 at 5:47 PM
I feel smug everytime I jump into my Eddie Bauer….suck on these emissions Al Gore…………………..
ritethinker on November 8, 2007 at 5:50 PM
You wanna save the world, kid?
GET OUT AND WALK TO ‘THAT PART OF TOWN.’
Putz.
Good Lt on November 8, 2007 at 5:56 PM
Playing on that fat kids false pride.
That little fat bastardo should have some real pride and be ashamed of himself for being a “food Blister”
TheSitRep on November 8, 2007 at 6:01 PM
My kids love it when I drop them off in my Black Honda Ridgeline, especially now that I added the 20″ chrome rims. Also, since the new Ridgeline commercial features Chuck Norris, that makes it “way cool.”
And whom ever came up with the idea of heated seats should be given a medal.
Wuptdo on November 8, 2007 at 6:04 PM
If my daughter asked me to drop her off a block away from where she was going, she wouldn’t get there at all. Her a$$ would be grounded. Then I would go rent a Hummer for week and drop her off and pick her up at school every day on the front steps for all to see. I was seriously considering buying her a hybrid Escape for her 16th, but am now leaning towards a big NOT!
roninacreage on November 8, 2007 at 6:05 PM
I dislike all things with an “environmental” slant. What a waste of energy (pun intended).
Zorro on November 8, 2007 at 6:08 PM
What he said.
Labamigo on November 8, 2007 at 6:09 PM
I don’t really feel like beating up this kid for making a commercial. I’m sure she’s a fine kid.
The lefty nitwit commercial writer could, however, take some criticism for a clunky and stupid dialogue. On the other hand, it’s a car commercial. I
hatedespise every single car commercial I have ever seen, except one.Honda made a commercial which depicted a guy who loved his new Honday so much, he was out in the driveway bright and early on a weekend morning, washing it and cleaning it to death. He had a toothbrush out and was scrubbing the wheels with it. Then the front door of the house opens, the actual owner comes out in his robe with a cup of coffee, wondering who is washing his car, and the other guy gets up and runs away.
That was funny. This was stupid. But so are all the rest.
Jaibones on November 8, 2007 at 6:12 PM
Honday? Honda.
Jaibones on November 8, 2007 at 6:13 PM
I just have to say that any kid of mine who made some sort of snarky comment about the car I was driving would never ride anywhere in it again.
Fortunately all my kids are smart conservatives, and know better.
Bob's Kid on November 8, 2007 at 6:19 PM
I’ll take COOL over smug any day. Behold Elica!
sonnyspats1 on November 8, 2007 at 6:52 PM
Eliica (sp)
sonnyspats1 on November 8, 2007 at 6:53 PM
This little girl’s “dad” is a major whore on the show Californication.
NTWR on November 8, 2007 at 7:07 PM
That’s a really cool car. Just don’t plan on going more than 125 miles a day in it and if you are used to getting 8 hours a night to sleep, you better enjoy 10 hours now.
Buy Danish on November 8, 2007 at 7:07 PM
http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/500462.html
Check out the link involving the dangers of hybrids in accidents. I am wondering as well how easy it is for the occupants to be electrocuted in some accidents.
JellyToast on November 8, 2007 at 7:32 PM
Well, the hybrid on The Simpsons electrocuted the hell out of some fish when Homer drove it into water.
SailorDave on November 8, 2007 at 7:37 PM
Buy Danish on November 8, 2007 at 7:07 PM
Yeah I though so too. I would rather drive the Eliica than anything that runs on ethanol. I think the future of agriculture is going to change drastically as we know it, because of ethanol. We need to reduce or eliminate our oil consumption world wide. Then we can tell the Arabs to go pound sand! Japanese Proffessor Shimizu established many precedents in the development of the electric motors and is on track for the same with the batteries. The Eliica’s top speed is 240 MPH and can go from 0 to 60 faster than a porche.
sonnyspats1 on November 8, 2007 at 7:41 PM
The implication here is that Dads are to dumb to care about the environment and maybe a little embarrassment will boost Dads to buy a hybrid Escape to please the little green communist wannabe they have at home.
Speakup on November 8, 2007 at 8:04 PM
Yeah,0-60 in 4 seconds will make you feel the G’s. I was surprised to see that it was quicker than all the 911’s other than the turbos and GT3.
The last photo I saw though was ugly as could be and won’t have anyone trading their Porsches in anytime soon.
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 8:13 PM
But how much dose the Eliica weigh? The 911’s also meet Euro-Ncap and DOT safety regs, have stereos, sat nav, airbags, and leather upholstery. A 996 will still hit 60 in 4.0 seconds all day long and you don’t have to wait 10 hours to refuel it.
I love how they want to “beat” the Veyron. It looks like an old Citreon DS, its no where near aerodynamic enough.
liquidflorian on November 8, 2007 at 8:46 PM
that’s the girl from Californication. what a great show…
Opinionnation on November 8, 2007 at 8:51 PM
I agree. I’ll take a CS Cabrio over the Eliica any day. I don’t imagine the Eliica corners very well.
They are shooting for the Veyron’s 0-60 in 2.5 seconds? At least they aim high.
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 9:08 PM
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 8:13 PM
The Eliica started as a class project for an engineering class at a Japanese University. The vehicle was not designed for production but rather as a prototype. The amenities, features and body style can all be changed with time. The point is that an electric car has been designed that won’t have draw backs operating in high speed traffic. I am also looking to invest in the technology.
sonnyspats1 on November 8, 2007 at 9:22 PM
I just resent the whole thing so much. Electric cars aren’t anywhere near practical yet. 8 tires?? Like I would want to buy 8 tires instead of 4?? Until they can make these things rechargeable in about 25 seconds for about 450 miles of use, it is going backwards. I reject the entire premise and I am sick of the whole hoax! We are living in such a delusional world today! Delusions, hoaxes, scams lies and fraud are everywhere! If they invented the perfect electric car the
dems would never allow it!! That is because it isn’t about that in the first place!! It ’s about destroying America!! If tomorrow some guy introduced to the world a solar panel that could power an entire steel plant, heat a thousand homes and run cars for hundreds of miles day or night,, the man would be destroyed! Not by the oil companies but by Democrats and environmentalists!! They’re goal is not to find new sources of fuels, it is to change the fabric of our society, demoralize, weaken and control each and every one of us! The fight is not about saving the planet!! It is about saving our liberties and freedoms from monsters, communists and fascists who would enslave and destroy millions for their cause! Listen to their words!! “The very earth is at risk!! There is no time for debate!! Action must be taken now!! Our lives must change drastically or it will be too late!” I fully believe that more than a few of these morons, if given the power, would be capable of unspeakable and unthinkable evil! There has been lots of crimes committed in the name of religion and in the persecution of religion! One can only imagine what would be unleashed if a person or government were given the mandate to do what is necessary to save the earth from eminent destruction, with the cause of that destruction being man itself!
JellyToast on November 8, 2007 at 9:48 PM
My kid told me not to answer my phone at a school function because it wasn’t an iphone.
:-P
csdeven on November 8, 2007 at 9:57 PM
Thanks for the tip. I’ll keep an eye on it. Love going fast.
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 10:04 PM
I might, but would have to try and hide the car and its 8 tires from my wife, who already has a list of purchases she wants to shoot me for.
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 10:07 PM
Dad: But don’t worry, dear. I make sure to use a high-pollution lawn mower to compensate for it.
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on November 8, 2007 at 10:19 PM
The EPA should sue California for not buying more of these.
DannoJyd on November 8, 2007 at 10:20 PM
Mindcrime on November 8, 2007 at 3:47 PM
Granted: Smug Alert!
DaveS on November 8, 2007 at 10:20 PM
That’s next. I’m sure John Deere is hard at work designing the new eco-friendly riding mower. They’re already GREEN.
Advertising now will become like food advertising, 25% less fat, 40% lower fat will translate to 25% lower emmissions, etc.
I was going to start a GREEN landscaping business last summer, I could hire illegals, use the old fashioned hand push mower, drive hybrid trucks with a big eco friendly label on the side and charge the rich liberals around here triple. I could even give them a little sign that says “My lawn was cut by an eco-friendly landscaper” to make the neighbors jealous, and ensure more calls. It’s gold! I mean GREEN!
reaganaut on November 8, 2007 at 10:27 PM
Get a grip. 99% of all advertising is horrifying.
Griz on November 8, 2007 at 10:49 PM
JellyToast on November 8, 2007 at 9:48 PM
Yes I know JT, but how do you really feel?
sonnyspats1 on November 8, 2007 at 11:19 PM
If you could actually find a place to go 240 MPH you’d be out of power in approximately 30 minutes.
BTW, I agree that ethanol is a lousy solution. We’ll be going to war over corn instead of oil at this rate.
Buy Danish on November 8, 2007 at 11:35 PM
Excellent point. We have to make sure the agri-lobby doesn’t cause us to go down this wrong path. At least use sugar and not corn.
dedalus on November 8, 2007 at 11:46 PM
The dad in the ad should’ve said, “Oh we’re not going there, honey. We’re dropping you off at a boarding school.”
Coronagold on November 8, 2007 at 11:52 PM
That commercial makes me want to figure out how to drive my Mustang and F-350 at the same time.
opusrex on November 9, 2007 at 12:16 AM
:o So, for how long did you ground him/her from phone privileges in the house?
inviolet on November 9, 2007 at 1:03 AM
I have an idea… why don’t we just say loud and clear that any time a fatuous libra-guilt commercial like this appears, we will turn off the tube for a minimum of one hour. Let the advertisers downstream explain it to the networks in the only language they apparently understand…
Yes, that is indeed an ironic punishment isn’t it? Maybe this will give them pause to lecture us about how we are so materialistic?
drunyan8315 on November 9, 2007 at 1:06 AM
When mid-life crisis strikes…you want to seem cool to your friends…you want to seem nuanced in your latte liberal circles…but you want the appearance of decadent American lifestyles…look no further than a hybrid SUV.
Kudos to the kid…way to go Ford. You get a kid who is “ecologically conscious” but the kid isn’t smart enough to check out her dad’s SUV detailing to see it’s a hybrid.
Very metaphoric for eco-lefties; live the life of a joiner, but don’t do any private research.
I want a Hummer H2.
Black Adam on November 9, 2007 at 2:56 AM
Did that hybrid have leather seats? LOL The irony!
Make a green wacko happy…anger PeTA!
Black Adam on November 9, 2007 at 3:09 AM
GM is just rolling out it’s full size “two-mode” hybrid SUVs, with hybrid versions of their full size pickups on deck. Essentially the system involves two electric motors, a sophisticated automatic transmission, a V8 with cylinder deactivation and a battery. Overall, they are about 25% more efficient. So why should we care?
Because more people drive full size pickups and SUVs than 35 mpg small cars. GM and Ford each sell at least 700,000 full size pickups a year. Toyota sells about 200,000 Priuses a year. GM improving the mileage on all those pickups will sae a lot more fuel than coming out with a 40 mpg small car. Twenty five percent less fuel on 3/4 of million vehicles is a lot of gasoline.
BTW, GM announced that they will have a fuel cell powered car for sale in 2011, most likely on the same platform as the Chevy Volt.
rokemronnie on November 9, 2007 at 3:48 AM
Oh, and the commercial was a slam at smug Prius drivers with the Dad teaching his daughter a gentle lesson.
rokemronnie on November 9, 2007 at 3:50 AM
Actually, landscape companies that used “green” equipment would definitely have a marketing edge. But actually, hybrid lawn mowers make a lot of sense. Because internal combustion engines are most efficient running at a steady rpm, it’s actually more energy efficient to have the engine run a generator that powers electric motors, like in a diesel electric locomotive. Whether or not this will cost less money over the life of the mower depends on the cost of the motor and generator, but the idea is worth looking into. I’ve spoken to some landscapers and they’d love to plug in to the house’s AC lines instead of paying for all that gasoline, though I’m pretty sure that 110 might not be enough for those large commercial mowers. You might need a 220 line if you are going to try to run on cabled electricity – that and some kind of tethering system.
rokemronnie on November 9, 2007 at 3:58 AM
I didn’t. I’m gonna buy Allah an iphone so he’ll never have to hear that from his kid.
:-)
csdeven on November 9, 2007 at 6:00 AM
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