blog assignment 9

In the world of car design today there is a trend that is starting to emerge, one that used to just be a fad for the ‘environmentally conscious’ celebrity, but now it looks like this fad is here to stay. That fad is the hybrid car.

The political and ideological message that is reverberating around the word these days is that we are leading ourselves into an energy crisis, and that one of the biggest contributors to this is the automotive industry. Car companies that used to brand themselves on performance and luxury where bigger was better are now re-branding themselves as being economic, clean and green. The most famous of these hybrid cars is the Toyota Prius. It still has a petrol engine but is coupled with an electric engine. When this technology was released on the world in 1997 it was laughed at but now more and more companies are getting involved. Manufacturers like Audi, Porsche and even Ferrari are now producing concept cars that have been designed to combine their companies old brand of high end performance with what they are going to have to turn to in the near future. Culturally and politically this is sending a message that this technology can be taken seriously and that there is hope and promise for not only the automotive industry but all the technology and industries that derive from it.

Toyota Prius

Ferrari 599 hybrid

[photo of Toyota Prius] http://getonlinecar.com/car/447/toyota-prius-pictures.cnet

[photo of Ferrari 599 Hybrid] (20.02.10) http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/02/sneak-peek-ferrari-hybrid/