Yesterday I drove for the first time a Toyota Prius. I was very impressed by the gadget quality of the car and very much the vision of the future.
First, there is a display that tells you what propulsion system is operating at that time, electrical or gas engine. There are graphics depicting the flow of energy to the wheels at all times. One strange thing though, was the fact that on certain flat roads, the gas engine still kicked in. It would seem that the electrical engine should be used to conserve gas. One thing I’d like to see here is a computation of cost of gas added into the display. Then you could really see how much money you were spending to get somewhere, ie. instead of miles per gallon, maybe you’d see miles per dollar…?
Second, the 2006 Prius is truly MP3 player friendly. There is a headphone jack in the center armrest where you can plug your iPod in.
Third, all 2006 Prius’s have a video camera out the back, so you can see what is behind you as you back up into a parking space.
Fourth, the aerodynamics of this car are among the highest of all existing cars. It slips through the air better than 99% of cars out there, aiding in its high mileaage per gallon of gas.
Adding to the gadget quality is the fact that you press a Power button to turn on the car – no more turning the ignition key. It does definitely bring a toy-like quality to the car.
But looking at all this, one definitely sees a vision for the future in automobiles. Where do we see this with other manufacturers? All we get is the same damn car with some minor improvements here and there. Thank god for Toyota, for raising the bar in innovation. The world needs more leaders who show that staying non-visionary is synonymous with a slow death in the marketplace…