Multi-dimensional Consumer Vehicle Preferences

Check out this AP story from Saturday on consumer demand for hybrid vehicles. The article makes what I think is the correct point — when consumers choose a vehicle, they are simultaneously satisfying a large array of preferences and characteristics, not just fuel economy or reducing our dependence on foreign oil. So what will be a crucial factor in whether or not hybrids proliferate and begin to drive out the old internal combustion technology is the adaptability of the hybrid technology to more spacious vehicles with better driving performance. As the article puts it, soccer moms may well decide the fate of hybrid vehicles.