gasoline prices

[FirstAndFinest]

Originally Posted by jon1856

I do understand Marketing 101 but why is it that those NOT IN NEED get the good stuff at no or very little cost?

Honda hopes Hollywood glitz shines up fuel cell car

TAKANEZAWA, Japan -- Honda Motor Co. is hoping a little Hollywood star power will add sparkle to its new fuel cell vehicle and make the FCX Clarity the greenest car on the red carpet.
Actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Harris, as well as film producer Ron Yerxa, are among the first five customers tapped to lease the garnet red no-emissions sedan.
While the car is rich with public-relations opportunities, it is still largely experimental. Honda expects to lease only about a half dozen in the United States this year, and about 200 in both the United States and Japan over the next three years.
The first car rolled off the line here today and will hit the streets of southern California next month. Yerxa, known for his work on "Cold Mountain," will get the first delivery through Honda of Santa Monica, one of three dealerships chosen to handle the leasing.
Keenly aware of the image coup scored by Toyota when celebrities rolled up to the Oscars in the fuel-efficient Prius hybird, Honda intentionally chose stars among its first Clarity customers.
"We wanted a few celebrities because at this time it's important to spread the message," said Stephen Ellis, Honda's manager of fuel cell marketing, here at a press event.
Yerxa and Harris were flown out to Honda's New Model Center north of Tokyo to attend a line off ceremony attended by President Takeo Fukui. But also on hand was Jon Spallino of Redondo Beach, Calif., a purported example of the hoi polloi lining up for the car.
"I'm going to take it to places to show it off," said Harris, whose roles included the bride-turned-terrorist in the television spy drama "24," "That's what it's all about."..............
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../62741773/1176

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...923001566/1065

That crap burns me up too! Do people really buy XYZ because they see someone famous using XYZ?? I'd rather support a company that did good deeds in the community.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by FirstAndFinest

That crap burns me up too! Do people really buy XYZ because they see someone famous using XYZ?? I'd rather support a company that did good deeds in the community.

I AM in marketing, and I'll tell you that, YES, OF COURSE THEY DO! Clothes, accessories, make up, cars, even dogs! People want to look like the stylish, rich and famous...not the poor. Just the truth.

Anyway, I read an article about this yesterday and I was under the impression that at least Jamie Lee Curtis purchased her car. Don't know about the others since they weren't mentioned in that article.

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by FirstAndFinest

That crap burns me up too! Do people really buy XYZ because they see someone famous using XYZ?? I'd rather support a company that did good deeds in the community.

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

I AM in marketing, and I'll tell you that, YES, OF COURSE THEY DO! Clothes, accessories, make up, cars, even dogs! People want to look like the stylish, rich and famous...not the poor. Just the truth.

Anyway, I read an article about this yesterday and I was under the impression that at least Jamie Lee Curtis purchased her car. Don't know about the others since they weren't mentioned in that article.

Just came across a follow-up Op-Ed piece about this.
Rather interesting read:
Is Hydrogen Just Hype?

Regular folks can forget the Honda FCX Clarity.

"I woke one day this week to find the future had arrived. Honda had made the hydrogen car a reality through its FCX Clarity. I yawned and went back to bed. Nothing had really changed. Hydrogen cars were still an appealing fantasy, a mirage that recedes just when it seems within reach.
Of course, the media (newspapers, Web, TV) was saying the opposite. The Honda was on its way to showrooms, just in time to save the planet and help the world kick its gasoline habit.
Too bad none of that is true.".......
......"The problem: all the inconvenient truths that Honda and other fuel-cell makers keep glossing over. Yes, the technology is intriguing. But it will still be several years (at best) before you’ll see hydrogen cars in a showroom. Don’t believe me? Ring up some Honda dealers and tell them you’d like to put a down payment on a shiny new FCX Clarity. After they stop laughing, we’ll talk.".......
......"
....."You — meaning the average car buyer — will never own this hydrogen car, no matter how much you’re willing to spend. You can’t take one for a test drive. If you live outside of California, you will likely never see an FCX Clarity on the road.
At the plant in Japan, several of the first recipients were on hand to see their hydrogen cars take shape. Honda has selected roughly 100 Americans — including celebrities Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Harris — who will be allowed to pay $600 a month to lease an FCX Clarity for three years, and then return the car to the manufacturer.".......
......."And why is it always celebrities? Why should the rich-and-famous get the first and often only crack at these sci-fi cars? You can answer that one yourself. Where there’s a celebrity, there’s a TV camera. To Honda, it doesn’t much matter whether real people drive the FCX Clarity, or whether it does anything to save fuel or ease global warming. What’s important is that people see Honda’s green conscience in action."..........
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/artic...topart=hybrids