Plug-In Prius: The Car For Royalty And Heads Of State
What car does Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi a.k.a. His Serene Highness Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco drive? He drives a Prius.
Today, he switched it for a plug-in hybrid Prius. The minute the first plug-ion hybrid was available in Europe, Toyota shipped it to Monaco as a two month loaner.
If he buys the car, His Serene Highness can collect a 5,500 EUR subsidy from his own government. Would he drive Nissan’s Leaf, Prince Albert could award himself 9,000 EUR.
Whereas the Prius and its compact sibling the Prius c (a.k.a. Aqua in Japan) enjoys record sales, the plug-in hybrid version has been a slow mover. It costs a princely sum more.
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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I suspect it can't climb most of the hills in Monaco without kicking on it's ICE, so I'm not sure what the point of the trading the regular Prius for the PIP is anyways. If you wanna help the air quality in Monaco, which sucks BTW, do it right and get an Ampera.
Hey Bertel is knocking them out of the park today. Where is everybody else? Is there anybody else? Just wonderin..
The new Tesla S may be a good fit for him, if he can get one.. those things will be sold out for years.
Not surprising to see a head of state engaging in what amounts to another empty gesture. If you can't whitewash your B.S., try greenwashing it.