GM says forget the Prius hybrid car

GM is on a marketing campaign to trick Americans into believing they are committed to benefiting society. Far behind in hybrid cars, trucks, and SUVs, the world's largest automaker wants the public to believe they are a leader in hybrid technology. Even more, GM wants you to believe the Toyota Prius hybrid car isn't very beneficial to society because Americans want trucks and SUVs, not cars.

"The best place for hybrid technology is larger vehicles. We want to start big, because that is the largest benefit to society", says Ken Stewart, GM's marketing director for new ventures, including hybrids.

It's nice that GM finally decided to get started - I mean 100,000 Prius hybrids have already been sold. Moreover, hybrids have been in the works in Japan for a decade. Yet, GM still isn't really making hybrids, aside from buses.

"They (GM) have postponed building hybrids until 2007. And they are only making 500 of the Silverado hybrids. They are spending almost as much money on advertising them as on their vehicles," says Dan Becker of the Sierra Club.

In a recent Los Angeles Times article, Becker also noted, "They are making $8,000 to $20,000 per vehicle (on SUVs). That's why they can afford to give $6000.00 rebates and still make a profit. They have suckered the American public."

In reality, GM's hybrids offer only an increase of 10% in fuel efficiency. The Ford Escape Hybrid, on the other hand, offers 61 percent fewer smog-forming pollutants and 80 percent better fuel economy.

Of course the Ford Escape is built on the hybrid technology of the Prius hybrid, which Ford had to lease from Toyota, until it can develop its own hybrid technology.

The sad fact is that American automakers have always put their primary focus on profit, not a better product, not a better world, not a stronger America.

The only reason that American automakers are even talking about hybrids is because Americans have started thinking about gas-mileage again. The war on terror, Iraq, SMOG, global warming, and high oil prices have forced many Americans to refocus their car-buying habits.

So, American automakers will continue to spend $13 billion per year to come up with slick ways to sell the idea that you don't really want to end terrorism, the war in Iraq, pollution, SMOG, or global warming, you just want to look cool.

We're Americans and we can do anything we want - at the expense of our children, the future, and the world.

Even if Americans would prefer hybrid trucks and SUVs over cars, GM is still far behind. Toyota is soon to release two hybrid SUVs - the Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX400h luxury hybrid SUV - both of which are significantly more efficient that GMs lousy 10 percent.

GM does deserve kudos for its hybrid buses, which are 60 percent more fuel efficient than diesel buses, and by the end of 2004, GM hopes to have 270 hybrid buses on the road.

Nonetheless, GM and the Big 3 have failed America in automotive technology. Instead of spending billions to pretend this isn't true, they should start walking the walk, rather than just talking the talk.

Americans are dying in Iraq because of the lack of American automotive innovation and shareholder greed.

Now is the time for leaders, not pretenders.