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Is this what folks refer to as "Trolling?"
Anyway...
This is the same argument Bob Lutz used to explain why GM refused to pursue gasoline-electric Hybrid technology. A few years later he was eating crow trying to explain to shareholders why GM missed the Hybrid boat and had to try to play catch-up to Toyota. Now the future of GM rides, in no small part, on its ability to leapfrog Toyota with the Volt plug-in electric vehicle. I hope GM can stay solvent and recover its lead someday.
I concede that economically speaking, hybrids or alternative fuel vehicles (to include diesels) may make little sense. (a few years back I put together a spreadsheet that demonstrated that the time to recuperate the price premium between a Corolla and Prius if fuel was $4/gallon was just over 12 years.)
Yet it may not be about the personal cost of a vehicle, but the barrels of foreign oil you don't consume that counts. That's less revenue that makes it into the hands of unsavory folks like Ahmidenijad, and Hugo Chavez.
Ultimately, this money may find its way into the hands of terrorist groups. Additionally, how many conflicts could we avoid if the US wasn't as dependent on foreign oil as it is? I saw a bumper sticker on a Prius that kind of sums it up: "Bin Ladin hates this car."
It's hard to put a price tag on that.
Peace.
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