Prius Attacks Smells Fishy
The internets have been abuzz with news that anti-environmentalists have vandalized Toyota Priora in the Golden State. Autobloggreen dutifully reports one hybrid flambée in July, and vaguely alludes to seven Priora attacks back in April. The site ends its blog with a condescending if PC plea: “Come on, people, this is ridiculous. Just because some SUV and some hybrid drivers act like jerks, that’s no reason to get violent. Let’s just live and let live.” Tracing the story back to Edmunds Inside Line, we learn “Violence Against Prius Hybrids Hits All-Time High.” Yes, “In the most brutal of a spate of attacks against the Japanese import this year, investigators concluded that a fire that consumed a newer Prius on a residential street in Los Angeles seven weeks ago was the work of an arsonist.” While the April outbreak seems real– “All of the [seven] attacks occurred at night while the cars were parked and unoccupied. Weapons included large rocks, bricks, and a motor vehicle used to ram a Prius”– are we sure there were no other vehicles involved? And connecting those dots to a single incident some three to four months later is a bit of a stretch. Common sense suggest that any coordinated “anti-green” group would claim responsibility for their actions. Maybe this last one was insurance fraud, or a neighborhhod vendetta, or… a technical glitch. Perhaps the police/Toyota suppressed vital information. Anyone care to speculate?
More by Robert Farago
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This is the best answer I've read for this =) ppellico : My guess is, after driving one yesterday….it was the Prius owners themselves. Hey it's possible
quasimondo I thought the guy in your link was a real he-man for buying a HUMMER, and I sympathized with him. Then I read where he's 32 and lives with his mother. He deserved it for that fact alone.
I see two likely possibilities and a certainty: 1. Insurance fraud. 2. Arsonists who want to see if the batteries make a cool flame. And, media folks trying too hard to make the news, rather than reporting it.
Bet that'll teach Toyota to buy surplus Ford switchgear.