The Carrot Project

No question we want to do some vehicle brand comparisons, but one decision we’ll need to make before we do that is how we break it down.

So I’ll ask you…

Should we just do one catch all “cars” comparison? Or should we divide the vehicle universe into pickup trucks and vans and sportscars and SUVs and station wagons and sedans? Or is are there any separations you think we should make?

I think that based on what this project is aiming to do, it would be a mistake to break down cars into sub groups such as pickup, SUV, station wagon, etc.

Car companies like Ford, Toyota, Honda, (the big names) generally will be producers of cars in each of these categories, and consumers are already getting all sorts of information on the statistics of each car make and model when they go to buy the car.

The thing that is not in the spotlight, is the business practice of the producer itself. Do the companies make concerted efforts aimed at generating less pollution? Do they provide good employee benefits? Do they seek to reduce fuel emissions on their cars, even when it might not be the most economically justifiable thing is to not? I imagine some of these questions have been answered, but they seem like questions that should be being asked.

At the core of this project, I see the potential for companies to independently account for externalities they generate.

Attaching a reputation of good works the brand name itself (Ford, Toyota) seems to me to be a pretty logical road.

But I could be wrong.

You’re absolutely right that information about the businesses behind the brands is the information that people lack, and that absolutely does need to be our focus.

The reason I thought it might be fun to separate different kinds of vehicles is that it might invite more silliness in the Alternatives sections. Alternatives to pickup trucks might be significantly different to alternatives to sports cars. But we’ll see. First we need to see if we can get people playing in those sections and see if they like it.

If this site is designed to be an ongoing forum with the intention of “evolving”, I think it’s premature to preclude a discussion of car body types versus manufacturers. It might be nice to rate manufacturers overall, based on their record of forward-thinkingness (that’s a word), sustainability and greenitude (another word), but I think it’s also important if someone wants to know what the best short-bed, hybrid, front-wheel drive, compact pick-up truck is, we should be able to rate it based on some combination of manufacturer and product quality.

Did that make any sense at all? Should I even be here? Is unsolicited commentary cause for my immediate expulsion from beta testing?

Doug, dude, this is a feedback forum. Commentary here is by definition solicited.

Glad to see you on the site. I hope you comment often.

And your point about considering a breakdown by vehicle type is legitimate. Doug Proctor’s point above, however, is legitimate too. It’s good to hear both sides. Certainly makes me feel better for having not made a decision yet.