Great contrast today between two stories. The one grabbing all the headlines: GM and Segway announce two-wheeled urban transport vehicle {Crunchgear}. Reactions were all over the map - from love to hate to laughter - over this multi-passenger version of the Segway Personal Transporter. Put me in the 'you've got to be kidding' category. My first thought was "why not just add a small third wheel in front, forget the expensive gyro/stabilyzing gear, and offer the equivalent of a souped up, smallish golf cart for less than half what this baby will go for." GM will contribute On-Star, so when you run into a hot dog vendor you can signal for help, and the odd, carnaval-ridish thing, according to the press release, "enables design creativity, fashion, fun and social networking." Social networking?
It felt like an April Foolish type news story, except it's apparently quite real. Sure, a lot of creative thinking and design chops went into this. But it doesn't mean for a minute that it'll sell very well. And I'd bet the farm that it won't. It'll be too pricey for one. And it's just too odd and unnecessary for another. The press release says it all: GM and Segway Join Forces to Reinvent Urban Tranportation. Hmmm. Seems like I've read/heard that before. Yes, I remember, when the original Segway came out. It was touted as a product that would completely revolutionize the way we humans get from point A to point B. Let's all count the number of $5,000 Segways we see each day. Show of hands.
Now, let's 'Segway' to another story, this one from the folks at Honda, courtesy of USAToday: They call it puppy love: Honda's dog-friendly Element. This story leapt off the page at me because it spoke directly to my lifestyle, and I'm guessing the lifestyles of millions of other people who own and love dogs. USAToday got a glimpse of the new Element before it debuts at Thursday's New York International Auto Show. The creative and consumer conscious minds at Honda have added these features: a fold-out ramp so dogs can easily climb in and out of the rear (this is huge), a built-in bed in the cargo area, a private electric cooling fan, a spill-proof water bowl, a mesh net to keep animals separated from people, and rubber floor mats embellished with a dog-bone design (it's bling, but so what).
And if your first reaction is "so what", then consider these stats from the article: some 63% of U.S. households have a pet, and nearly 45 million of those pets are dogs. As a dog dad who's more than willing to part with his hard earned dollars when it comes to the furry kids, I"m betting a profit-producing percentage of those dog-loving homes would consider a vehicle that has Spot and Ranger in mind. From the article:
Hang around at a dog park, and you soon see how dog owners choose their vehicles with their dogs in mind. One of them is Romy Friedman of Manhattan Beach, Calif., who works in real estate and who is shopping for a new car.
"I am buying the car for the dog," says Friedman, who happened by the dog park with Buster, her golden doodle (golden retriever/poodle mix). She had looked at Hyundai, Lexus and BMW, but prefers the Element. "He's a big dog. I want him to go in the back, not on the seat."
Do you agree or disagree? Will the new GM/Segway vehicle sell like hotcakes? Or will the dog-friendly Element be a homerun for Honda? I say Honda - Toyota too - knows the pulse of the consumer much better than Detroit.
