Say ‘Hybrid’ and Many People Will Hear ‘Prius’

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Say ‘Hybrid’ and Many People Will Hear ‘Prius’
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: July 4, 2007

A riddle: Why has the Toyota Prius enjoyed such success, with sales of more than 400,000 in the United States, when most other hybrid models struggle to find buyers?

One answer may be that buyers of the Prius want everyone to know they are driving a hybrid.

The Prius, after all, was built from the ground up as a hybrid, and is sold only as a hybrid. By contrast, the main way to tell that a Honda Civic, Ford Escape or Saturn Vue is a hybrid version is a small badge on the trunk or side panel.

The Prius has become, in a sense, the four-wheel equivalent of those popular rubber “issue bracelets” in yellow and other colors — it shows the world that its owner cares.

In fact, more than half of the Prius buyers surveyed this spring by CNW Marketing Research of Bandon, Ore., said the main reason they purchased their car was that “it makes a statement about me.”...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/04/business/04hybrid.html?hp

[Maat]

1. I love my Prius ...

and, if I'm honest, I love my IMAGE in my Prius.

HeeHee.

And, as my Engineer hubby says, "It's technology is eons ahead of the rest."

[Orsino]

2. Yeah. I bought it in spite of its fugliness.

But pretty soon I found it beautiful. I wanted the best gas mileage I could get in a car big enough to fit me and a little cargo. That meant the Prius instead of the Insight.