Like a sculptor who refuses to unveil his masterwork until his creation is complete, Henrik Fisker has kept his gorgeous $87,900 four-door plug-in hybrid under wraps. Yes, Fisker Automotive has shown off numerous variations of the Fisker Karma at major auto shows in the past few years. But a vehicle is not a stationary object d’art. It must be driven to be understood and appreciated, and so far, Fisker is not letting anybody outside the company take a ride.
After dominating the world market for hybrid gas-electric vehicles, Japan's automakers are now aiming to set the global standards for electric car charging. A coalition of companies, including Nissan and Toyota, announced yesterday the creation of a organization called CHAdeMO that is working to develop the standards.
Myth #1: Toyota vehicles, like the Prius, put drivers at a high risk. Carnegie Mellon University Professor Paul Fischbeck, a risk expert, calculated the risk of driving a recalled Toyota and found that you are almost 20 times more likely to die while walking than driving a recalled Toyota. National Public Radio reported that you are 30 times more likely to get hit by lightning than to die in a crash involving a runaway Toyota. The other four myths involve misconceptions regarding how a speeding Prius can be stopped.
For the past several weeks, media and government officials have stirred widespread public concern about the safety of the Toyota Prius—publishing first and investigating later (if at all). But the truthfulness of the most publicized incident so far—what might be described as cross between the Balloon Boy Hoax and the OJ Simpson Highway Chase—is coming under increasing scrutiny. Sikes could be credited as the man who convinced the public to question if Prius safety questions are more hype than reality.
This week’s story of a San Diego man and his runaway Prius marks the turning point on when Toyota’s unintended acceleration issues crossed over into hysteria. While observers cast doubt on the truthfulness of the high-profile incident, more drivers have reported cases of Prius sudden acceleration. With each new report, there is a growing counter-movement that points to human psychology—rather than technical malfunctions—as an explanation.
Sales of hybrid gas-electric cars outperformed the overall market in January—showing an 11 percent gain compared to January 2009. Prius continues to carry the weight for the whole hybrid market, representing about half of all hybrid sales. The rise in Prius sales—4.5 percent compared to a year ago—was enough to lift the entire market by the 11 percent. Even though the Toyota brand and the Prius’s image suffered blows in the past few weeks, we don’t expect January’s pattern to significantly change for most of this year.
James Sikes, a 61-year-old San Diego-based real estate executive, made national news this week when he claimed that his 2008 Toyota Prius sped out of control on California’s Interstate 8. The story was picked up by major national media and ricocheted around the Internet. Yet, inconsistencies in Sikes's story raise questions about the incident and the accuracy of media reporting on the story.
Toyota officials last week confirmed that the Lexus CT 200h, a premium hybrid hatchback, is coming to the United States, according to a report in Automotive News. The Lexus CT 200h would be Lexus’s first compact car, and the first compact hybrid sold by Toyota in the US.
Earlier this week at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen promised to lift hybrids out of its niche status and to produce electric cars. Audi, Volkswagen’s luxury brand, echoed the sentiment, making a commitment to full hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric cars. Rupert Stadler, Audi AG's chairman of the board of management, said, “We shall offer electric power in the best possible forms for a wide range of mobility needs. The hybrid driveline will be followed by all-electric vehicles."
The Coda all-electric sedan, due late this year, is the underdog in the race for an affordable mass-market pure electric car. Fans of electric vehicles, and supporters of good old-fashioned American entrepreneurialism, might celebrate Coda’s rugged and independent approach—but that’s being undermined by questions about the manufacturing origins of the Coda sedan.
