There are two underwriting credits in hot rotation on NPR lately which really annoy me.
First is Merck, the pharmaceutical company. Their underwriting “commercial” plugs them as being supporters of the Merck Institute of Aging & Health. Well, if the “institute” didn’t have their name on it, I might have thought they were charitable. Instead, they’re supporting their own organization that advises seniors on health care… pushing Merck products, no doubt.
Next up is Ford, whose message touts the Escape Hybrid SUV. They’ve been running this promo for a very long time, and they’ve been advertising the truck elsewhere for more than a year.
The question I have is this: where the hell is it? Can anyone buy it? I’ve had a hybrid car since 2000. What the heck is Ford waiting for? This is the automotive equivalent of vaporware.
They claim it’s the cleanest, most fuel-efficient SUV made. That’s hardly a ringing endorsement, considering how incredibly dirty and wasteful SUVs are in general. However, they do claim that they are targeting 35-40 mpg for the 2-wheel drive version, which I will admit is quite good. It achieves PZEV status just like the Prius — in fact, all the documentation on the car sounds exactly like the Prius, which leads me to believe that the hybrid system was built by Toyota. Toyota did indicate that their second-generation system was being “licensed out” to other manufacturers.
So, the underlying technology and clean emissions is fantastic and I’m very pleased that someday someone might actually be able to buy one. Of course, this doesn’t negate the annoyance of the big oversized behemoth on the road in front of you.
