Car for idiots

So I was laughing out loud as I was reading this interview of Mr Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America, in which he boldly affirms his feeling that GM's Volt plug-in hybrid vehicle is 'a car for idiots,' as few actual buyers will be willing to shell out $40,000 for a car that competes with a Toyota Corolla costing $25,000.

Of course Mr de Nysschen is not at all impartial in this, as he was trying to make the case that his own Diesel vehicles could immediately make a bigger difference for the environment than plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Yet as biased as Mr de Nysschen may be, I'd definitely say he has a point here. Particularly in the USA and Britain, as well as in China, there is no denying plug-in hybrids will have to be recharged with electricity generated mainly by burning coal rather than renewable energy, producing far more emissions than a fleet of regular gasoline engines. Diesel engines, on the other hand, emit up to 25% less carbon dioxide than gasoline engines, while consuming 25% to 35% less fuel.

In this perspective, I would argue that, indeed, Diesel engines are a good idea and that emphasizing Toyota Prius-style hybrid vehicles, which also burn a lot less gasoline, is the way to go until America produces all its electricity from renewable sources, or at least a greater share of natural gas. In any case it is refreshing to hear an auto exec calling GM what they are: a bunch of idiots supported by an even more stupid U.S. administration who've felt bailing them out and funding electric cars was such a great idea. Which it is definitely not.