GM CEO: Prius is a "geekmobile" that "I wouldn't be caught dead in".

[wtmusic]

No, it's not Robert Lutz. It's GM's new CEO, Dan Akerson, who apparently was pre-screened for his ability to trash-talk a competitor's wildly successful product line. Didn't this company recently go bankrupt? I could have sworn...



http://green.autoblog.com/2010/12/13/gm-ceo-toyota-prius-is-a-geek-mobile-that-i-wouldnt-be-caug/

[Drale]

Whats wrong with being a geek?

I'm a geek, and I have more fun then the "non-geeks" I know. All they worry about is getting drunk and layed, I have a more intellectual view of the world and I actually have hobbies that don't involve bring yourself to the bring of death through alcohol.

[frazzled]

1. I love our Prius.

If that makes us geeks, geek on!

[Tikki]

4. So do we....

We mean we love our Prius and we love your Prius, also.


The Tikkis

[hlthe2b]

6. I own a Prius--though I always thought they looked a bit like a shoe...

and were really only "cute" in that "so ugly it is cute" sort of way, I can honestly say I could care less. I drive it without worrying about all the problems I was having with my last car and without spending more on gas and oil than nearly anything else in my budget. I am covered for everything but routine maintenance for the next five years--not just drive train. So, yeah that peace of mind makes me think it as beautiful as that new "BEEMER"....(or the AUDI A4 I've always wanted)

[flvegan]

2. Nothing wrong with the Prius, nothing wrong with disliking it.

Personally, I don't care for it either. Doesn't matter either way.

Considering the man is trying to promote the Volt, it's kinda sorta like he's doing...I dunno, his JOB?

[wtmusic]

5. It's kinda sorta like he's being an asshole.

No need to trash your competition, especially when Consumer Reports has just come out with evidence that the Prius is less expensive to operate and costs half as much as their "electric" car.

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/12/13/toyota-prius-better-buy-than-chevy-volt/

[flvegan]

10. Trash talking in the auto industry?

Oh, the horror of that shock. Car companies and those that work for them (as well as the gearheads that buy many of them) have been doing it since...I don't know. I'm not old enough to remember. It would also seem that if CR had come to that conclusion, all the better a time to say something as vague and insulting.

Personally, I could care less which is better. I wouldn't own either one. To each his or her own.

[Codeine]

15. OMG, Consumer Reports lauds a Toyota over an American car?!

I'm SHOCKED, I tell you!

[AndyTiedye]

9. Putting down "Geekmobiles" is Not a Good Way to Promote the Volt

Who does he think the target market for electric cars is, anyway?

[flvegan]

13. I dunno.

The Prius sort of has that stereotype. It's not a bad thing. The Insight never got the publicity that the Prius got. It was way ahead of its time, some argue that it still is.

The Volt is going to have its own stereotype too, I'll bet. Given to it by Prius owners about how overpriced it is compared to the Prius.

The target market for electric cars or hybrids is everyone. We're all interested. Just depends on the model.

[doc03]

3. Well he is right the Volt does look good. Hasn't the

Prius and Toyota had some massive quality problems the last couple years? I can take you to the local Toyota dealer and show you a stack of rusted out frames from the Tacoma pickups out behind their shop.

[KeepItReal]

8. The Volt looks like it was made for Hertz and Avis rental car fleets

Neither company can talk about looks on their hybrids.

Now the Tesla... That's a looker.

[doc03]

12. What does it cost? n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

11. I've driven my share of little Japanese pickups into

their rusty graves. 1 Toyota, 2 Nissan 4wds, & now my 3rd Nissan is on its last legs. The little beasties would get 250k miles with their little 4 cyl engines if the bodies & frames would hold together long enough. I got about 27 mpg with the old Toyota too, until I put a toper on it.

[AndyTiedye]

7. Of Course It's a Geekmobile!

That is part of the reason they sell so well out here. Geeks buy cars too.

[tech9413]

14. I'm proud to be a geek and would love to have a Prius

That arrogant asshat should feel privileged to suck my shlong. He is the biggest part of the problem.

These idiot MBA's who think they know everything but can't think beyond the next quarter profit will destroy the world.

I feel pretty lucky to have been off the grid since 02. I don't think that fool could fend for himself for a month.

[Nihil]

17. That is just so true:

> These idiot MBA's who think they know everything but can't think
> beyond the next quarter profit will destroy the world.

So damned true. :-(

[Willinois]

16. This is the mindset that caused GM to fail.

They have narrow, outdated ideas of what the American public want. Toyota started outselling them because they offered products people wanted and couldn't get from GM. If this guy still doesn't get it he's a moron.

[phantom power]

18. Perhaps, Dan, the market for fuel-hungry muscle cars is smaller than you think...

and, perhaps, GM's congenital inability to accept that had something to do with your recent humiliating bankruptcy.

Just a thought.

:shrug:

[Javaman]

19. sadly, Mr Dan Akerson didn't get the memo that being a geek is a good thing now.

it just goes to show how out of touch GM still is.

While I find the volt very expensive, it is a step in the right direction.

Now if they can just get rid of the ICE and focus on just electric, that would be a better move. But alas, they did that once, recalled them all, shredded them, then help over turn California legislation for zero emissions.

I suggest Mr. Dan Akerson get a better publicist.

(and just a note, claiming to be a geek is not as cool as someone referring to you as a geek. My two cents)

[hatrack]

20. Why's that, Dan? Because you're already a couple million units behind?

:eyes: