Coincidence?

Last night, I saw a commercial for a Prius sales promotion. If I remember correctly, it wasn't too long ago when people had to wait for months to their hands on a Prius - even for a used one. So, it really baffled me to see Toyota spending the money to boost the sales for a product that is already so hot. (This reminds me of a South Park episode on the smug cloud disaster caused by people buying hybrid cars, but I won't get into that here...)

On my way to work this morning, I heard on the radio that DMV has stopped issuing the "Access OK" stickers for hybrid cars bought after summer. The "Access OK" stickers give hybrid drivers the rights to use the carpool lane, a.k.a HOV lane, when driving alone. For those of you who don't live in California, this was how the CA state government tried to get more people buying hybrids.

I find it very hard to believe that Toyota *just* happened to push a sales promotion for the Prius at the same time when DMV decided to stop issuing the stickers. But, I guess this is simply politics at work.

While the carpool lane access was never our primary reason in considering buying a hybrid, I am glad we haven't bought the car yet. The people who are getting their sticker applications bounced back must be super frustrated... I know I would have been. Having the "Access OK" sticker can actually be a big money saver with bridge tolls, since the most basic tolls now start at $3. I'd say the hybrids with access stickers could actually save the owners more money in tolls than gas.

Well, I guess this means aside from being less guilty in polluting the air, there isn't much of a reason to get an overpriced hybrid. Perhaps the price will drop next year... But, in the meantime, I'll stick with my Corolla, which is now running fine after getting its WAY overdue oil & filter change. :)