Edmunds.com Consumer Car Expert Phil Reed (Part 1 of 4) – Mitsubishi’s Plug-in Vehicle ‘Sneaking Up on Everyone’
Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
It’s official. At least, it’s about as official as something can be in the automotive industry. That’s because it comes from the informed and always-objective Phil Reed, consumer advice expert at the authoritative automotive web site Edmunds.com.
So it’s official that, while investors are keeping a close eye on whether Toyota, General Motors or Nissan will be first to market with a plug-in hybrid vehicle, Mitsubishi is “sneaking up on everybody” and “has a shot” at being first, according to Reed.
Whether plug-ins will be a game-changer for the auto industry remains an open question, but with gasoline in the U.S. likely to top $4 a gallon this summer in most, if not all, states, vehicles that can be filled up for the equivalent of only a few dollars worth of electricity would seem destined for stardom. (That relatively low fill-up cost should hold even if, as experts expect, U.S. electricity prices also start to surge.) During a lengthy discussion with EnergyTechStocks.com, Reed, one of whose key strengths is consumer psychology, predicted there will be a “strong market” for plug-ins “once they prove themselves,” which he expects will happen quickly after they are introduced in a year or two.
Reed described Mitsubishi’s plug-in entry as being “more real world” than others’ models, explaining that it drives well, is surprisingly quick, and provides a range of 100 miles or so between chargings. While all three are key points, it wouldn’t surprise experts in general if the ultimate winner of the plug-in vehicle sweepstakes is the car that goes the farthest between chargings. In this regard, even if Mitsubishi gains the advantage of being first to market, it (and other big carmakers) could have a battle on their hands with any number of small, generally private car manufacturers working on plug-in vehicles that they may soon introduce which can go up to 300 miles between chargings.
Tomorrow, March 19, Part 2 of Phil Reed Newsmaker Interview – the Rise of the ‘Econo-boxes’
