You Don't Expect A Green Ferrari

Ferrari has a new supercar out.  It's a hybrid, and it's called LaFerrari.  My reaction upon seeing the name was to think of the Renault LeCar, the compact that bedevilled French teachers and its owners in the early eighties.  The LaFerrari - see, just sounds weird - is their entry in the expanding market for $1,000,000+ sportscars that are only barely faster than the $200,000 sportscars.

So Ferrari has trouble naming things.  Or at least, whoever names things for them hasn't spent much time on this side of the Atlantic.  Last year they tried to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the modern Italian state by naming their Formula one car the "F-150" and were quickly informed by Ford's lawyers that they've been using that name for their pick-up for nearly as long as Italy has been around.

A lot of people outside the automotive press will make a big deal about this being a hybrid, since we've had it pounded into our heads that hybrid or electric cars are inherently about efficiency, in much the same way that the car buying public gets confused if they find that an economy car is turbocharged.
The fact is that if a technology makes a car get better use of its fuel, you can use that technology to either increase mileage with the same power, or more power with the same mileage.  And electric motors provide more torque at low engine speeds, so it provides better acceleration.  So while the lefty in me may appreciate the mass market electric and hybrid cars like the Prius, Volt and Leaf, the realist in me feels that high end cars like this Ferrari are going to do more good in getting new technology to market.