Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.

I agree with everything you say. All of the information you mentioned are important things that buyers should know before deciding if it’s right for them.

On the one hand, we all know CNN (and many other news outlets) are in the business first to make money (through selling advertising and other ways), so sensationalism and dumbed down statements are all part of the deal.

On the other hand, I think the CNN segment does 2 very important things. 1) It shows that consumers do not generally have time to research and digest all the marketing and technical “noise” thrown at them, especially for products as new and complex as hybrid and electric cars. Therefore the news has to come down to bite-size, reality-show format if they hope to catch any attention. And 2) The selling parties (in this case the car manufacturers) are not doing a good job explaining and promoting their products to the mass.

In my opinion, the bumper car comment was specifically used for explaining the feel of regen even though she didn’t say the word exactly. That is how a non-technical person would most accurately describe it. Many viewers, including myself initially, missed this point and had strong reaction that is based on a totally different context. She certainly wasn’t listing out and comparing all attributes between a bumper car and a MINI E.

CNN had less than 2 minutes to do the whole segment, and the viewers had maybe 30 seconds to view and digest the info. Working with many reporters, I come to understand that it’s always a challenge to educate reporters and hope they say things correctly. It’s not their fault, they’re just not technical. But what they have is the power of broadcasting.

By the way I, and I’m sure many others, envy you for getting to drive the MINI E for a whole year. I’m sure your blog will be followed with much interest.