stupidity suffers, for once

http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/21/news/companies/honda_hybrids.ap/index.htm?cnn=yes

Good.

The other good news, not addressed here, is that Honda's hybrids would still qualify for the tax break Congress put in a couple years ago for the purchase of a fuel efficient vehicle. Toyota, owing to the near total conversion to hybrids and good marketing opposed by good lobbying, does not get such incentives. But continues to move to dominate the car markets anyway. I think they passed GM this year as the world's top seller. If not they're very, very close. Honda isn't yet as universally hated by the American car lobbyists, and isn't quite as loved by the consumers (though it's certainly not doing as poorly as the idiots of GM/Ford/Chrysler), despite the fact that both companies manufacture many of their cars here in American factories while American car companies have moved out (or at least moved out of Detroit). And the real key here is that the market is providing a clear incentive to find ways to make fuel efficient cars. Because that's what people want. Americans car companies were slow to pick up on this, though each has a few small cars of reasonable fuel economy. Chrysler in fact went to a desperate strain of selling a special gas card for some of their cars that would charge the owner no more than (I think) $3 per gallon for the next 3 years. I suspect that will boost sales.. but it'll also kill their bottom line. Gimmicking is usually an image of desperation, not intelligent responses to the market.

Perhaps it would have helped to make some cars that account for fuel economy once in a while. Then people would grumble, but not have as much to lose while gas prices climb.