In reply to Jed Rothwell's message of Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:37:54 -0400: Hi, [snip] >The Yomiuri reports that Lexus hybrids are selling like hotcakes in >Japan. The car is back ordered until February next year, and selling >at the rate of about 10,000 cars per month. The paper notes that >sales were predicted to be 500 per month, "so the actual sales rate >is 20 times the sales target, which is a sign of the great popularity >of hybrid cars." To say the least. The Lexus hybrid, model HS25Oh, >costs $37,500 in Japan. > >It seems to me this is good news for the GM Volt. It shows that >wealthy people, who do not need to worry about the cost of gasoline, >are willing to pay a premium for high-efficiency, high-tech cars. >That doesn't surprise me but I am pleased to see it confirmed. I >expect the hybrid part is a status symbol to some wealthy people, and >to others it is a way to save gasoline and reduce global warming.
...another factor may be the desire to reduce smog in over polluted cities. After all people have to breath the same air as their own car. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/Project.html
