A lot of people can’t wait to try [the plug-in Prius], so it’s understandable that one of our dealers created some confusion recently by taking deposits on future Prius plug-in hybrids.

Magnussen’s Toyota in Palo Alto, California was doing what we’ve always encouraged our dealers to do...to listen carefully to their customers and try to meet their needs. Being so close to Silicon Valley, the dealership was getting lots of requests from customers who wanted to buy a plug-in Prius. And since the dealership had confidence Toyota would eventually deliver a great vehicle, they thought it would be a good idea to take deposits and make customers happy.

So, while we applaud Magnuessen’s excitement about our future Prius plug-in, we want to be clear that we have not announced a timetable for retail sales.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Since one or two of us have done tours of duty in the hallowed halls of America's car dealerships, we know that cash money is God there. Faced with customers demanding something that didn't exist, but that the dealer knew would most likely soon exist, Magnussen's did what any money-grubbing auto retailer would have done: they charged folks to get on "the list." Shady? Yeah. Surprising? Not in the least. It's common knowledge that a customer who has left a deposit on something, no matter how small, is much more likely to return to complete the transaction — any transaction. The simple rule of thumb to follow is "don't put a deposit on something that doesn't yet exist." Even...or especially...at a car dealership. Incidentally, Magnussen's also agreed to return all customer deposits for plug-in Priuses, but we wonder how much thumb-twisting on Toyota's part was involved before they agreed to relinquish their precious cash. [Toyota Open Road Blog]

Seven "great" reasons to buy a hybrid

• Your old car is busted and you need a new one anyway
• You get a tax break with some hybrids
• Your employer is a hippy and offers hybrid drivers perks
• Hybrids can drive in the high occupancy lanes where you live
• Better mileage than your gas guzzler
• Hedge your bets against gas prices skyrocketing
• Buy a hybrid to send a message to automakers

• You think it will save money right now
• By some delusion, you think a hybrid is cheaper to own
• You think there's no difference in performance against a normal car
• You think you'll get the claimed fuel economy
• By some delusion, you think you'll never have to service it
• You're buying it as a fashion accessory, thus garnering the full vitriol of the Jalopnik community

While this might not be the most cost-effective way to lower the price of commuting, it's a fun project for those looking to go green and who aren't interesting in taking the easy way out by buying a Tesla or waiting for something else. Anyone have a donor BRAT and a cache of golf cart batteries? [CNN.com, Photo: Flickr]

Aside from the consumer education challenge, one curious conclusion in the study was

"just more than half the population of US households that buy new cars has the potential to recharge a vehicle at home with at least 110-volt service. This is 1.5 to 3 times larger than prior estimates."

Grove believes the auto industry has reached what he calls a "strategic inflection point," the point at which a business has to either change or die. And he wants change in the direction of electrics; Grove has set up a course teaching about hybrids, plug-ins, and electrics in an attempt to move the discussion toward alternative energy sources. And then there's the fun part.

Mr. Grove is also a proponent of retrofitting current vehicles with the lowest fuel economy — trucks, vans and SUVs — with hybrid powerplants. Envisioning half a million Yukon owners reaching for their toolboxes, GM spokesman Greg Martin said, "We strongly discourage consumers from retrofitting vehicles." Unless they're out of warranty, in which case knock yourself out; the service department is hurting right now too.

All we hope is if Grove next ends up pushing for an Intel chip inside, he goes with an Apple OS to run it. Those Microsoft systems don't seem to be running well enough for even the back seat.[Detroit News; Photo Credit images.vnu.net]

Not surprisingly, technologies not readily available in the U.S. didn't fare well on the study. For example, clean diesel engines barely registered a blip, in large part because they're just entering the market. Said Mike Marshall, director of the study: "The mere fact that they'll be in the marketplace is going to raise the awareness level of clean diesel, and I think that will begin to crack some of these wrong perceptions of what diesel is today."

While clean diesel is already chosen by a majority of European buyers, it remains to be seen whether economies of scale allow it to be implemented in the States at a lower price premium than that found on hybrids; new offerings from VW, Mercedes, and even Honda in the next 12 months should provide some insight into diesel pricing strategy. Additionally, as hybrid sales numbers rise, the same economies of scale should allow prices to fall. But, for either to happen, first some folks have to pony up the premium. Chicken, meet egg.
[Automotive News (Sub. Req.)]