Earlier today, Agent009 wrote up an intriguing piece I encourage all of you to take a second to read. Essentially, he was curious if premium hybrids and electric products missed the mark.
In fact, he wondered if they were simply the biggest FAIL EVER in the automotive business. There's no doubt that it's a bold claim and definitely a contentious topic, but it's a valid observation. For the naysayers, just take one good look at the sales figures. It isn't pretty.
It's funny because the other day I stumbled across an Infiniti teaser that puts up the Infiniti M Hybrid up against the Porsche Panamera Hybrid. For the record, both vehicles sales -- combined -- accounted for less than 450 units delivered in 2011. Granted, the Panamera Hybrid hasn't been on the market for very long. Not that it matters because I am pretty sure it won't light up Porsche's sales charts by the end of 2012.
Long story short, Infiniti eagerly boasts that the M is the "the fastest accelerating full hybrid on the planet."
This leaves me confused. Not because it beat the Panamera, but why in the world would a firm BRAG that its hybrid is faster than a Porsche, have plenty of gratuitous shots of it screeching tires and THEN display its HYBRID badge proudly?
It's a hybrid; isn't its primary role suppose to be sipping fuel AND making the world a better place?
Instead of fighting the HARD battle of "Hybrids CAN be fun," why not just come clean and deliver a fuel saver that has one main goal: to keep consumers AWAY from the pumps.
Don't get me wrong, plenty of other automakers have tried to figure out how to sell premium hybrids and they all seem to land on performance like that's the great answer.
**Note: The sales figures hint otherwise.