Has The 'GREEN' Car Movement Pigeon-Holed Us Into A Red Car-Green Car World?

People won't stop buying cars. I will never buy a hybrid. Maybe a pure electric vehicle one day, but never one of these compromised things. It's not that I am against spending less on fuel. It's that I don't believe in global warming... oh sorry I forgot it's just called climate change now... and by buying one of these vehicle I am instantly pigeon holed into people believing I have certain beliefs I don't. It's much the same as I will never buy a Porsche because I don't want people to think I am arrogant, and why I will never buy a cargo van for personal use because I don't want people to think I am a pedophile... but back to the issue. No people won't stop buying car's because hybrids are available. The only way I could see is if the auto industry stopped good old fashioned purely gasoline driven cars altogether. I would assume buyers such as myself would then buy used cars and classics...

Yes their is some division now- but with gas prices lower than a year ago it's not nearly as evident as the Obama-ites would make it seem. The media will keep playing the "green" card because it's trendy and fashionable but it will fade like everything or trend/fad. Take note though- the days of gas guzzling SUV's and sporty V-8s getting 13mpg is over. And that's not a bad thing. Personally I can't wait to see a Ferrari hybrid.

Not sure whether this is a recent fad or not. Europe and Japan, 2 fairly big auto markets, have stressed and pushed (and their car companies are in full agreement) for more economical cars, be it through diesel or through electric/hybrid. Maybe it's because Europe and Japan have old roads that are smaller, a more populated environment, more group conscious and less individual centric attitude society, not politically powerful enough to garner cheap gas price from Middle East, etc. but those people value and use the economical cars more widely. During good times, they suffer in their smaller cars but during bad times, they benefit from driving more economical cars. I don't see a problem with recent effort in this country to get more economical cars on the road.

please name at least 34 diesel suv's and large diesel sedan's it should be easy if that is there are "at least" 1 for every brand.

lol hyundai/kia doesn't sell any of those vehicles with diesel options in north america.

I believe one of the biggest resistances to energy efficient/ alternative fuel cars is due to the belief (by the auto companies) that these cars have to look different (read: weird). People will embrace them if they manage to look like normal, regular cars; maybe smaller in some cases (esp. SUVs), but like a normal vehicle, not a clumsy-looking pod that is the Prius, for instance.

Tesla has set a good precedent: an alternative energy car that looks every bit like a normal car, and isn't going to be ostracized on the raod :)

*road*

The only logicial reason today to purchase a hybrid is fuel costs. This clobal climate change or whatever you choose to call it is a majority of speculation. If there is a culprit its asia and they have refused to be responsible. I own a company that is very much involved in the recycling/energy saving arena and you would be suprised the amount of information that is incorrect. I believe we need to be good stewards of our planet but a majority if this direction we are being led into in wrong.

I agree with 001 for a certain extent. The analogy works well to expose the division of the cars of today, green vs red. But the argument falls flat when the political landscape becomes the extended story. As with anything, you need to separate church and state.

The challenge is, is that green now equates to a very focused type of buyer with a very specific set of needs; Small, Trendy, Urban, Practical, Individual, and Dead Inside. Most green cars, especially the ones that the media continues to glamorize are efficient, yes, but completely impractical, not to mention, hideous. On the other hand, the cars that fuel enthusiasts passions are too resistant to change. Er, at least they're not publicizing their the eco improvements properly enough to get the spotlight they deserve.

Anyways, back to the discussion about the division. IMO, if the two sides don't get their shit in order, the do-it-yourselfers are going to emerge. People want cars that fit their needs and provide eco benefits. They don't want to sacrifice one for the other. Fortunately, we're already seeing the likes of Tesla, Fisker, Local Motors, and so on who are more than able to marry the two functions. Not to mention a handful of alternative energy start-ups. So in the war of green vs. red, my vote is for neither.

Its not green vs blue vs red: its the price of gas, stupid! As long as gas is cheap (less than $4 per gallon), then most people will buy what they want, regardless of mpg. But as soon as gas goes over $4 a gallon, mpg becomes a major priority for most people.

Tell me what gas will cost in the next 3-5 years and I'll tell the Big 3 what cars will sell. Its that simple (or not!).