http://www.reuters.com/article/press...008+BW20080109

[quote]``Mean' and ``Green' Collide in Detroit: New MyRide.com Polls Gauge Car Buyers'...
Wed Jan 9, 2008 8:02am EST

``Mean' and ``Green' Collide in Detroit: New MyRide.com Polls Gauge Car Buyers' Desires for Super-Power vs. Alternative-Power

According to MyRide.com Consumer Polls:

-- Miles-Per-Gallon and Eco-Friendliness Trump Power and
Performance

-- 51% of Consumers Say Their Perception of GM is More Positive
Than a Year Ago

-- Consumers Most Impatient for All-Electric Vehicles, Diesels
and New Hybrids
IRVINE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--With plug-ins, fuel cell vehicles and hybrids sharing the floor
alongside hugely powerful muscle cars and ultra-sized SUVs, the theme
of next week's North American International Auto Show in Detroit could
be described as "mean vs. green." And, with GM pitching its
environmental leadership (Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 aside) and Toyota
taking heat for its mammoth trucks, including the bigger-than-ever
14-mpg Sequoia, a shift in traditional automaker perceptions may be
afoot.

To gauge how car buyers feel about these and other developments in
an industry, with one foot in the past and the other searching for a
foothold in the future, MyRide.com(a) conducted a series of online
consumer snap polls. The polls are currently posted alongside in-depth
Detroit Auto Show coverage
www.myride.com/events/index.html. Below are some highlights
from the recent polls.

Consumers mixed on muscle

Recent and most-anticipated debuts are the Chevy Camaro and Dodge
Challenger, but, according to the polls, consumers have mixed feelings
about these retro muscle cars, with only 28% describing their return
as positive, 32% describing it as negative, and 41% describing their
feelings as mixed. When pressed on which of the upcoming muscle cars
they'd be most likely to buy, it was a close race between the Camaro
(29%) and Nissan GT-R (25%).

Mileage trumps horsepower ... theoretically

When asked what will matter most during their next vehicle
purchase, only 10% cited power and performance, while 38% named gas
mileage and environmental friendliness. For most, however, it's a
compromise--with 52% saying they'll look for the best available
combination they can find between power and efficiency. And although
people say they place a high priority on being green, most (53%) said
they traded up in terms of horsepower in their most recent vehicle
purchase.

Full-size hybrid SUVs get a big response

Thanks to GM's new "two-mode" hybrid technology, full-size SUVs -
like the Chevy Tahoe and Silverado, Cadillac Escalade and Dodge
Durango- are about to come out in hybrid models that should deliver
mileage in the 20-25 miles-per-gallon range. Sixty-two percent of car
shoppers surveyed described their reaction to these vehicles as
positive. And 28% say their arrival will impact what they're
considering for their next vehicle purchase, either significantly or
somewhat ("if the price difference and fuel benefits make sense").
Only 8% said they plan to buy a full-size SUV truck but won't pay the
premium for hybrid benefits. The remaining 64% say they won't consider
a full-size SUV or truck - hybrid or otherwise.

The Toyota/GM PR Wars

MyRide.com asked a series of questions designed to determine
whether consumer perceptions of Toyota and GM shifted over the past
year.

Despite some recent press concerning Toyota's environmental stance
and lackluster reliability ratings, most survey-takers (41%) say their
perception of Toyota is about the same as it had been a year ago, and
the remainder was roughly split between having a more positive vs.
less positive perception. For those who say that Toyota's image has
slipp