Quote Of The Day: You Want To Save The Planet, Or Are You Just Looking Where To Put That Slurpee?

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

“You have about 5 percent of the market that is green and committed to fuel efficiency,” said Mike Jackson, the chief executive of AutoNation, the largest auto retailer in the country. “But the other 95 percent will give up an extra 5 mpg in fuel economy for a better cup holder.”

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Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Ixim Ixim on Dec 30, 2010

    People should be able to buy and drive whatever they want. Why do so many Accord/Camry buyers opt for the V6 when the I4 is perfectly adequate? Because they can, and a heavy right foot is often part of the deal. Anyway, now,, the transition from greater efficiency = more power [more V6/V8's] to a little less power on a lot less gas [more turbocharged I4's] is well underway. I think that's great.

  • Kendahl Kendahl on Dec 30, 2010

    Screw the cup holders. I want a car that is comfortable, fast, handles well and stops well. Fuel consumption is a consideration but not a major one. (The cars I want average at least in the mid 20s.) I'm not going to drive the automotive equivalent to a hair shirt just to save a few gallons. If gas gets too expensive for my budget, I will compensate by staying home more.

  • Wstansfi Wstansfi on Dec 30, 2010

    I believe in recycling, and that we are slowly worsening the environment - still, I love to redline the car out of lights and stops on the way to work in the morning - I smile the whole time I'm doing it and can't believe the government won't charge me more for the privilege. If the government were smart, they would incorporate environmental cleanup charges into the cost of the gas... but they don't. If they're serious about increased efficiency, tax like Europe, require higher octane, increase public transportation options, and quit it with this stupid CAFE and Ethanol stuff.

  • Skor Skor on Dec 30, 2010

    People buy cars that are too big/powerful/wasteful because they they are fearful, cowardly, vain, hateful etc. Rarely do they ever need a vehicle of the size, neither do they take advantage of the vehicle's capabilities. Case in point: Some years ago, I parked my Ford Probe in a parking space at work next to a Ford Excursion. The owner of the Excursion was getting out just as I came in and remarked to me that my car would fit in the back of his truck. I corrected him by pointing out that two cars of the type I was driving would fit in the back of his truck. I then asked him why he "needed" to drive an Excursion. After all, I'd never seen anyone else in this truck besides the owner. I'd also never seen the owner haul anything heavier than his lunch, nor had I seen him tow anything with said truck. The owner replied, "You know why? Because if someone pulls out in front of me, they're gonna die, not me." There you have it, "I like big trucks because I can indulge my twisted little murder fantasies." This is the same type of tough guy that gets a hard-on by watching gun cam footage of jet jockeys blasting Pashtun wedding parties to bits, but will cry like a little girl if he ever actually receives a draft notice. $10/gal gas can't get here soon enough.

    • West-coaster West-coaster on Dec 31, 2010

      I once read a book about the SUV craze and its origins. One sociologist offered a theory about why they became so popular in the 1990s. He said that sales kind of took off after the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Frightened homemakers and cubicle dwellers suddently needed something that would "get them out of a jam" (in other words, mow down people in the inner city if they tried to pull them out of their cars like that poor guy in the dirt hauler who nearly lost his life). We seem to be a society of car buyers who like to over-equip themselves "just in case." "I need four wheel drive JUST IN CASE I'M EVER STUCK." (Never mind that they live in a gated community and commute to a high rise office building.) "I need four wheel drive JUST IN CASE I GO ON A SKI TRIP TO THE MOUNTAINS." (Guy skies once or twice a year, and drives up to the resort on plowed roads.) "I need a huge cargo area JUST IN CASE I BUY A BIG PIECE OF FURNINTURE OR NEW FLAT SCREEN TV." (You know, there is something called Enterprise Car Rental for just such an occasion. Heck, Home Depot even rents pickup trucks by the hour.) "I bought the Ford F-350 Crew Cab Diesel for its towing power, JUST IN CASE I HAVE TO TOW SOMETHING UP A STEEP GRADE LIKE IN THOSE COMMERCIALS." (In reality, he paid like $8000 for the diesel option, and twice a year tows a pair of Jet Skis to a lake, a feat that a Honda Pilot could take care of without even breathing hard.) "I hear those new electric cars like the Nissan Leaf can only go 100 miles on a charge. No thanks, that won't work, JUST IN CASE I WANT TO DRIVE TO LAS VEGAS OR THE SAN FRANCISCO." (Again, Enterprise offers pretty good rates for those rare occasions, or Southwest Airlines can get you to both those places pretty cheaply if you book in advance.)

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