Idiots will buy anything

Whenever things like this come up, I find myself grateful that I am getting a marketing degree. Market anything well enough and people will buy it. Even with the expanse of research available on the Internet, people usually do some cursory Google search, read the company's webpage and that's about it.

What am I referring to, you say?

The GMC Yukon Hybrid. It even got its own special SuperBowl Ad. It's a beautiful-looking commercial, attention-getting, but definitely wrong for the SuperBowl. However, it's also pompous navel-gazing crap. Great, one of the biggest SUVs available is going to be a hybrid.

GM is also releasing a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, which I will refer to in the rest of this post.

According to the commercial, estimated gas mileage is 21. CarandDriver Magazine has this to say:

By EPA measures, the hybrid Tahoe four-by-four is rated at 20 mpg city and highway. The standard Tahoe four-by-four’s ratings are 14 city and 19 highway. Our as-tested mileage for the hybrid was 19 mpg, way better than the 12 mpg we got with the regular Tahoe...

It seats 6 or 7 people, and if you're the unfortunate sap who has to cart around 6-7 people, it may make sense. However, the Honda Odyssey also seats 6 or 7 people. Its EPA estimated fuel economy is... 21 mpg! About the same as the Tahoe Hybrid.

The base model Honda starts at $25,860. The Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid price for the 2WD version starts at $50,490.

Some people may claim I am comparing apples to oranges, but SUVs are essentially sexier minivans. While they may have originally been designed for actual 'sport-utility', their off-road capabilities are doubtful. Minivans also don't have that nasty little habit of rollovers.

However, if you feel you are too cool for a minivan and too smart for a 'regular' car, by all means, pay for an abysmal 19 mpg and ugly stickers that scream 'I care- without really caring', then I hope you enjoy your purchase.

Dumbass.



Full CarandDriver article here.