truckbouy2 wrote:
Big Oil Leverage....Hmmmmm.... I wonder how many EPA kids have gone to college courtesy of the Oil Suppliers ? Might be an interesting study if you could do it.
If Mercedes logic is right, the big oil guys hate hybrids as much as they do widespread adoption of diesel, as both pose threats to their long-term profit margins. A 45 mpg Prius hybrid or a 45 mpg Jetta or Honda diesel both hit the oil companies profits roughly the same amount. There is just less they can do to discourage hybrid sales.
Unless some public scrutiny is brought to bear on the oil industry pricing of diesel, bringing the price at the pump into proportion with the margins they make off of gasoline, the diesel vs. hybrid battle in the US will be settled before it ever gets started. Not many American consumers will choose a 40 mpg diesel passenger car w/ diesel running $5 bucks a gallon, when a 40 mpg hybrid option exists with regular unleaded running $4 bucks a gallon.
The reality is that with diesel in the US, the oil industry has a captive market. Not like tractor trailer trucks and farm equipment can fuel up with something else, and the overall economy is so dependent on those engines it isn't like we can really use a lot less of the stuff in the short term. I think the oil industry is trying to move America towards a long-term price structure based on diesel being a premium fuel, expecting that their profits will shrink as price reduces overall consumption by passenger vehicles (whether because people buy hybrids to be green or they stop driving as much to save $$).
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
