Luxury Car Buyers Go Green
Environmentally aware buyers can still enjoy premium autos such as Lexus without all the guilt. Though this new “green” awareness could set the typical car buyer back more than just a few dollars. European auto repair will get even more costly with the new environmental technologies.
For those who haven’t been in the car-buying market in the last few years, hybrids are the latest attempt at decreasing the environmental impact of automobiles by combining the best features of gas and electric engines – hence, gas-electric hybrids. While a traditional gas engine lets you go longer distances between refueling, and refuels quickly, it puts out a lot of emissions. Electric motors run much cleaner, but only let you go about one-fifth to one-third the distance of a gas engine and take several hours to recharge. Hybrids manage to bridge the gaps, using gas and electricity to allow longer distances; lighter construction results in greater fuel efficiency; and decreased fuel consumption significantly reduces emissions.
Another upside, especially given today’s economy? Lower fuel costs, making day-to-day operation a bit cheaper than standard gas-powered automobiles. Of course if you’re shopping in the luxury-car arena, saving a bit on day-to-day costs may not be your primary concerns. In fact on the whole, across all price points, hybrids tend to cost 30% or more than their standard-engine equivalents. So cost savings, at least initially, aren’t the primary selling point for hybrids. But where cost falls short (at least figuratively), fuel efficiency and reduced emissions soar, with the newest generation of hybrids nearing zero-emission standards.
