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Nowadays, choosing what car to buy may be difficult. Some of us want to save on gas so we go towards fuel efficient cars such as electric vehicles. However, fuel efficiency comes as a cost of performance. Speed fanatics want a bit more horsepower so when they put the pedal to the medal, they get that extra bit of adrenaline pumping through their veins. So, up comes the best of both worlds, a two engine car, also known as a hybrid.

In an article from the New York Times, the new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid has been receiving complaints from drivers on how the car isn’t meeting its advertised fuel efficiency. The C-Max is expected to achieve 43 miles per gallon in the city and 47 miles per gallon on the highway. To recover a loss in reputation, Ford has sent out $550 dollar cheques to C-Max Hybrid owners. I believe that this payment to owners is a form of crisis management, as the last thing Ford wants is car owners to turn to substitute products from other companies. From this article, I can see potential controversy between the Marketing and Accounting side of Ford. The cheque would help restore Ford’s image which is good for marketing, but is a costly safety procedure from the perspective of Accounting.

In my opinion, I think that it is great that businesses are offering cars that satisfy each unique driver. With the continuously rising gas prices, I believe that Hybrids and even electric vehicles will become more and more popular as time goes by.

source/article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/business/ford-c-max-hybrid-owners-get-rebate-for-disappointing-mileage.html?ref=business&_r=0