A new way to be wrong

As the blow back against the Prius continues it never ceases to amaze me at what lengths people will go to to make a mostly non-existent (at least in reality) point.

File under “embarrassingly pedantic and mostly wrong”…

Prius a no, no – Peugeot, Citroen and Ford are all greener, says new study
Filed under: Uncategorised, Business — Chris

It looks like bad news for the Toyota Prius. A joint study between Cardiff University and Clifford Thames an automotive consultancy revealed that far from being the greenest of the bunch, the Prius lagged behind the likes of Peugeot, Citroën, Ford, Smart, and other cars in a new environmental rating system.

Actually, the study as yet is unpublished and won’t be out until October 2nd. Which isn’t to say that the savvy journalists at “Environmental Graffitti” might not have gotten tipped off early. Just that the rest of us won’t know which end they’re talking out of until the we can see the study.

Opponents will claim that this is far from the truth, the Prius is after all, the cleanest for its size.

Good point and thanks for making it.

However, David Riemenschneider, Clifford Thames’ chief executive said that “Conventional technology will overtake the Prius over the next 12 to 18 months, and consumers won’t have to pay a premium for it.”

Yikes, it’s the Chevy Volt syndrome. The interesting thing about this is that’s almost an admission that the Prius is the best, just maybe not forever.

This is what I don’t get about the backlash against the Prius. I am sure that there are things that will come out in the future that will eclipse the Prius’s accomplishments but the salient point is, they’re not here yet.

He would know… the researchers have been studying cars which are going to launch in the near future – these petrol and diesel guzzlers are already beginning to show signs that they’ll outpace their uglier, yet greener counterpart.

Wow, this sounds like it’s coming straight from any number of popular auto writers. So now the (unnamed) Prius is “uglier”?

The research, gleaned from publicly available data suggests that vast improvements have been made by car manufacturers, who are under great pressure from regulars to reduce emissions.

However, emissions aren’t everything. The study also examined the bigger picture, the cars’ environmental “footprint” – including raw materials, production, and end-of-life costs – based on their length, width and weight.

I so know where this is going.

According to the Financial Times of London, the Prius is:

larger and somewhat heavier than many rival low-emission vehicles, due in part to its large battery and transmission, making for added environmental costs, the researchers claim.

Toyota has played up its “green” credentials, based largely on its hybrids, but like other manufacturers it is also investing in other emissions-cutting new technology applied to conventional small cars.

Just as I thought, the FT piece sources what vastly discredited “report”? Yes, the silly CNW “dust to dust” hit piece. SO we have one publicly unavailable report comparing the Prius to cars not on the market yet and one thoroughly discredited report as source material.

Great reporting. What could be left.

The Toyota Prius is already the most sold hybrid car in the world and one of the lowest emitters on the road. However, some have argued that the Prius is a status symbol and that other hybrids are difficult to tell apart from normal cars.

Oh yes, the whole “status symbol” thing. Seriously, these people need to copy from better publicists.