Expensive cars are proudly boasting their green credentials - but at a high price, writes Kilian Doyle
IN SPITE of my attempts to be nice about the Prius last week, the folks at Toyota are a tad miffed at a few points I made, not least my statement that "the green gains of a hybrid are wiped out by the energy required to build it in the first place".
Truth is, I may have been a bit sweeping. In my favour, Toyota admits that a Prius does take more energy to build than a regular car.
However, they argue that - according to their calculations - the Prius will actually generate 43 per cent less CO2 from production to disposal than an equivalent petrol car if both are driven for 150,000km over 10 years.
Meanwhile, an authoritative source tells me Toyota, conscious of snide prodding from the likes of me, has gone to great lengths to turn Prius factories carbon-neutral.
Indeed, he assures me, every time a worker breaks wind in one of these eco-idylls, Toyota plants a flower in Hokkaido. I suspect he may be exaggerating. But possibly not by much.
I also claimed Prii are expensive. This, Toyota insists, is relative.
An entry-level Prius should cost around €27,000, the same as a bog-standard Mondeo, Passat or Laguna, give or take a grand. So, while still about €20,000 more than penniless proles like I can afford, they're not overly pricey as these things go.
I still maintain that it's greener to run an old banger into the ground than buy a new car, hybrid or otherwise. That said, I am also prepared to admit that this view has been more than a little coloured by the reality of the average hack's finances. Make of that what you will.Now that we're neatly on to the subject of penury, you'll be aware there's a credit crunch going on. We're told everyone - from street sweepers to hedge fund managers - is feeling the pinch.
But are they? The antics of hypercar manufacturers would lead one to believe otherwise.
Take Aston Martin, for example. It has recently announced details of its One-77, a 7.3 litre V12 beast which looks like the lovechild of a steroid-riddled Vanquish and a Scud missile. Downpayments of €250,000 are being taken as we speak.
Total price? If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Seeing as you can't afford it, I'll tell you: a few bob short of €1.5 million. Before taxes. No wonder they're only making 77.
Back in Japan, tuning company ASI is producing a pimped-out version of the Bentley Continental GTR, complete with gold-painted bonnet and €620,000 price tag.
But the best example of laughing in the face of financial death comes from Koenigsegg, whose frankly mentalist 1,018 bhp CCXR Special Edition is a snip at around €2.5 million.
Koenigsegg is touting it as a "green" supercar because it can run on biofuel.
Which is supremely ironic as the only people who can afford a CCXR are Saudi princes grown wealthy beyond measure through selling oil.
When running on biofuel, it emits 135g/km of CO2, not a huge leap on the noble Prius's 104g/km.
The CCXR will cost €150 a year to tax in Ireland, a saving of €1,850 a year over your standard hypercar. Which, you'll agree, makes it a bargain. Be quick though - they're only building six.
The mind boggles. It's like the last days of the Roman Empire - we're surrounded by human ostriches faffing around in jewel-encrusted Bentleys, blindly ignoring the barbarians at the gates.
Much as I'm loathe to admit it, I like their style. But how to join in their profligate pre-doom merry-making?
Perhaps Toyota would like to give me a gold-plated Prius? I think I deserve one.
I've been very nice about them. Haven't I?