First of all, I will complement you on your vastly improved communication skills and knowledge. I enjoy a challenge.
Now onto the meat and potatoes of the topic.
You can argue that Hybrids only appeal to the hardcore enviromentilists, just the same as our Gasoline V-8's do to "Us"... That's obvious though, just as some like the Camaro for X and others like the Challenger for Y...
Yes, I understand the "image" of the Hybrid vehicle, but if were just talking "image" that's merely face value... Nothing to do with actual facts "image" is an opinion, right? It only means something to the...Lets say Be-holder? Were on the brink of making fast pretty Hybrids and the Circuit is just the tip of the iceberg, if you can follow me...
First of all, that is what the evidence thus far is pointing at. We can live in a dream world or look at the current evidence that says this is who it appeals to, and this is like garlic to a vampire. You have to understand that when you have limited resources and money, you have to spend it wisely. If there is going to be another hybrid model, it would be better utilized on a different model like the Caliber than it would the Challenger because history shows that segments takes to it better.
No it goes beyond face value, the issue is if the customers who want a Challenger don't care and don't like elements of a hybrid and that is going to jack the price up about $7K on top of a model that already sold for north of $30K, it will make it unaffordable. Hybrid technology isn't a simple engineering upgrade as MDS and VCT are. This redefines the powertrain altogether and jacks the price up considerably. Hybrids drive completely different than normal models. A Diesel is a much smaller adjustment than hybrids are because the engine is running at all times.
Lexus has tried that, and it hasn't been a outstanding success story. There are hybrids that in the performance category are impressive, the issue is they often get no better mileage because they were engineered for performance. In this case, everyone looses. The mileage is no better, the price is way much higher than it was before which could have been utilized for much less expensive changes like adding forced air induction to get more performance out of it.
Yes, I understand what pony and muscle-cars are in spirit of course I wouldn't be here if I didn't truly know where your coming from. To make a counter point though one could argue that Hybrids definitely don't "conform" to society they are cutting edge to the highest degree...
Neither did the VW Beetle or the Microbus, the issue is they appealed to different people. Yes, the hybrids DO conform because we are doing it because "it's what We have determined is good for you." That is precisely the opposite purpose of a muscle car. It is a statement that I cannot be tamed by the "it's what We determined is good for you" mentality. Also, hybrids are not cutting edge, the concept has been around since the early 1900s actually. Given they are working reasonably now, but they aren't as new as you might think.
I'm not sure if Hybrids do or don't get the fuel economy they are rated but I'd have to assume they do or were just being lied to.
I'm familiar to the Boiling frog model... The frog doesn't recognize the change in environment and then poof... no more Kermit...
What is the point of getting a model where you pay as much for them as you do, make the many safety, power, smoothness, etc. sacrifices if it doesn't get the fuel mileage. It's simply illogical. Your argument ignores the evidence of models such as the Durango hybrid, Accord hybrid, and others that have been tried and failed. Not every hybrid has been a success as you seem to think it is. There are no guarantees, you risk making a model that will loose money in the long run by trying to draw conclusions where there is no evidence that demand for such a model exists.
"To me, they are trying to destroy our capability to own cars like these by implementing technology that will make them unaffordable and less desirable"
Honestly I don't think they are trying to do this... I honestly think there looking out for us so we CAN have our cars but with less trips to the Gas station, thus less trips over seas, and conclusively an independent economy that doesn't need foreign oil.
Also to say the above quote... could be used to say maybe I feel the same way you do about Gasoline as too DVD's... One could say they tried and succeeded in destroying our capability to own Video Cassettes, by producing newer technology that in turn has Video Cassettes becoming obsolete...???... Or the same could be said about DVD's to Blu-Ray players right?...
I beg to differ, I think they are. To a large degree this is the agenda of the squeaky wheels of society. They are after large vehicles that are fun to own because they use more gas, so they pass these laws to make them more expensive and keep raising the CAFE standards. They ignore the fact that models like the Honda S2000 exist and get much worse fuel economy than V8 muscle cars. They ignore what horrible fuel economy Ferraris get and moan and complain about American sports cars which get much better fuel economy. They chastise our V8 trucks but love the Ridgeline which gets worse fuel economy than many V8 models. They are aiming for our enjoyable models plain and simple.
Also hybrids are not making us less dependent on foreign oil because they still need gasoline and oil for lubrication. Also this idea that we can somehow get free of it because we no longer need gas is ridiculous. We need oil for the tires, for the asphalt, the plastics for the interior, etc. It can't be done through this way. If you want us to become independent of foreign oil, produce oil domestically.
The DVD vs. VHS model is a bad comparison to the automotive industry. You are comparing a replacement product as opposed to an evolution of a same product. The DVDs were only more expensive at first due to new technology and because they could. Technology advances faster with consumer electronics than it does for automotive market. A VHS vs. BETA is much closer than a DVD vs. VHS will ever be. It's difficult to compare them because they are very different.
The Circuit is just a warm up... I think we'll see cars from all over the spectrum with Hybrids in them(I don't think this is a bad thing)... The only thing I can understand about this conflict over Hybrids is the Bragging rights... We just don't know how to compare our hybrids yet... I.E. LS1's and 2's to 5.7 and 6.1 Hemis... I feel it's a fear of the unknown so to speak...
I have no problems with changes as long as they are logical changes, when I see people ignoring blatantly obvious signs that an idea is just a niche market and they try to shove it on people is when I get concerned. There is danger in trying to force people to change when they don't want to. It is also a dangerous idea to have an assumption that people who are resistant to change are acting because they are somehow ignorant. Sometimes people are resistant because they have seen where a road leads to and they don't want to reinvent the wheel that leads to disaster. I do see the hybrids as a bad thing and the increased offerings of them as such. I want fuel efficiency to improve and alternative fuels as much as anyone, I just don't want it to be at a cost that is going to make the models more dangerous, expensive, a hassel to work with, and damaging to the environment despite what some people want to think it will.