It takes five to ten years to pay back the carbon footprint of making a Prius (relative to continuing to drive an average older vehicle), so yes, I do hear the groaning. In fact, if cars of any sort are the wave of the twenty-first century I'm concerned about there being any twenty-second century. I find it so sad that so many people want to live as though they are physically disabled by using wheelchairs, albeit large enclosed ones, for their every transit desire.

Elephantman and the rest of his ilk keep insisting that GM knows best for what kind of cars to make.

I suppose that really says more about them than reality.

You must be freakin' amazing! If you can duplicate all that my prius does without any mechanical help that's astounding. You'll carry home all the groceries I buy, even when it is for a party of 20 people? You'll get to a job 75 miles away on foot or bicycle every day rain or snow or black of night? You'll carry all the recycling down to the dump by hand? You'll get a new (or used) dresser home from the store or even the wood you'd need to build one?

Instead of "human power" how about we call you "disingenuous lad"? Or lass, your call.

While the Prius is an obvious bright spot, Toyota's overall sales figures were off 41% compared to Ford's 24%. Ford had its near-death experience in '07, saw the clouds on the horizon and started hoarding cash. It is now taking advantage of the situation, reflected in Ford stock that is now near its 52 week high and climbing.

Greetings

California perspective can be fun when its surfing songs but for serious transport, not so much...

I dunno if Hummer is embarassing never owned one but I know that people who actually use a vehicle for work ie plumbers electricians etc need more than a prius to operate and I know that in the snowy regions prius don't make traction in the snow

Now I realize the snarky know alls will tell me that such is unimportant but next your toilet is plugged you may be happy that a huge gas guzzling GMC pick up arrived to solve the problem

It has been a long time since you have substantively addressed an article or a comment to an article. Do you have anything to say, or are your >2,500 posts all the same nonsense?

I know that in the snowy regions prius don't make traction in the snow

I have a Prius in New England and it does just fine in the snow.

who actually use a vehicle for work ie plumbers electricians etc need more than a prius to operate

I have a Prius and a Pathfinder and the Prius does just fine for everything except large-scale construction and towing. Plumbers and electricians won't have any trouble with a Prius for 99% of their work. And hybrid trucks, when they come out, will solve that as well.

Glad to know the "quality monitor" is on the job. Most of the posts you deride are simply calling out the inane drivel posted by far too many people here. What do you care what I post? Did I call you out on something you have no real answer for?

It is tedious to wade through your amatuerish snark. If this were Nickelodeon, the pre-teeny humor might play. Here, not so much.

But you make a good point. I've hurt your feelings for the last time. I'll no longer police your inanity. Drivel away.

Considering our massive trade deficit with China, one hopes that they will blow their hard-earned money on other useless American properties. Hummer is a good start. They could also buy the whole state of Arizona as far as I'm concerned.

Besides, I get way better mileage than a Prius with my crowded subway car.

GM has never done anything right and keeping it alive made no economic sense. Personally I think it would be better for Michigan to turn red than waste any more money on Detroit. For naysayers remember this: Hybrid technology came from GM but who is making money from it, Toyota.

Hurt my feelings? I think you're projecting.

Go ahead, take your ball and go home. You and your "professional snark". Yours is one of the more defensive letters I've seen in quite awhile. Pretty funny too.

I have a 2005 Prius and will soon be buying a 2010 Prius. Anything else would be uncivilized.

You drive 150 miles per day? Please kill yourself for the good of the planet.

But, but

Elephantman and the rest of his ilk keep insisting that GM knows best for what kind of cars to make.

I suppose that really says more about them than reality.

-- Lynx

I suggest that car-buyers, not "GM", know best what kinds of cars to make.

They buy Priuses in Japan because gas is, what, about $8.50 a gallon? You might just get me to buy an Escape Hybird if North American gasoline were similarly-priced. You'd have to kill me to get me into anything so pathetically and putridly ugly as a Prius.

But that's not our market. It could be. If Nancy Pelosi had the balls to raise gas taxes. But she doesn't. Her balls are probably tiny and shriveled up. Al Gore, Barack Obama, Henry Waxman, Ed Markey, Nancy Pelosi. It's hard to figure out which one is more stupid, or more incompetent, or more crazy, than the next. But they do know how to count votes. And while they have plenty of hot air to gush about climate change, they don't have the guts to raise gas taxes. Instead, they game the system with CAFE standards. Guess what. We've had CAFE standards, and rising gasoline consumption, for decades.

It never ceases to amaze me; the amount of hate directed at GM, at Salon. You people dn't know who is writing checks to the DNC, do you? I just want to be there for the next Democratic Convention, with the UAW, and Obama, and Al Gore, and the Salon editorial staff including Adrew Leonard, all in the same room.