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Following up with the post on the SmartCar vending machine comes this clip from one of our favorite shows, Top Gear from the BBC (the NBC version is coming later this year!). In it, they run a Toyota Prius versus a BMW M3 around a track 10 times to figure out which was more economical. Turns out, the Prius is not. The BMW averaged around 2 more miles per gallon than the Toyota Hybrid. As it stands with gas prices quickly rising, the sales of Prius’ are ever increasing and it’s getting harder to find one on lot for MSRP. Wonder how those sales would change if there were a report that went out showing that the Prius is only REALLY more economical if you’re driving local and in stop and go traffic all day long, and that the costs that you pay in premium for a hybrid vehicle are not recouped for years in gas savings (although probably less that nowadays). The Prius is still more GREEN however, and therefore will be the choice vehicle for people like Leonardo di Caprio – at least until the Chevy VOLT comes to the market…for me, I’d rather take the V8 M3, I’d be getting better mileage than those hybrids on the freeway!

There are some pretty bad marketing tactics out there. It’s always refreshing to see some innovation and forward-thinking that really catches consumers and creates a memorable message. As seen above, Smart Car is the latest in these forward thinkers, creating a faux-vending machine in Japan that dispenses tubes that contain information on their vehicles. Have you ever seen anything so cool? Especially with gas prices approaching $5 a gallon these days, maybe Smart Car should try placing a few of these at hot spot malls this summer here in the States. Would probably make a bigger impact than their Smart Car House that supposedly showcases how a “Smart” individual lives. I know this – if I saw one of these, I’d take a tube and definitely look through the information – if a company is willing to engage its potential customers through fresh and exciting ways, I’m willing to give them a few more minutes of my time. One of these beats seeing 100 banners and posters pasted all over the city

For more on this, visit Trends in Japan