Lexus offered Paul McCartney a free car because of the work he did for them, promoting their hybrid vehicles. He selected the LS 600H. It’s the largest, most expensive car in the Lexus line offering up such goodies as dynamic radar cruise control and adaptive LED headlights. The base LS600H costs a mere $125,400 in Canada. For an extra $29,700 you can opt for the premium executive package which includes extra goodies such as:
- Rear Seat DVD Player
- Rear Seat DVD Entertainment System
- Audio and DVD Remote Control
- 9‑inch Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Rear Monitor
- 4‑Zone Independent Automatic Climate Control
- Infrared Body Temperature Sensor
- Milli-wave Radar Cruise System
- Rear Seat Fold-Out Table
- Rear Side Window Auto Sunshade
- Ottoman Seat Cushion Airbag
- Right Rear Seat Retractable Ottoman
- Shiatsu Massage Seat
A steal for $152,100, don’t you think? I don’t know if McCartney got the executive package, but I’m guessing he did because some of the news stories refer to the car as a limo. It’s certainly not a limo, but the executive package might make one think it is. This car is powered by a five litre V8 with 438 HP applied though an all wheel drive system. It’s no lightweight either, weighing 2,290 kg (5,049 lbs), or nearly 1,000 lbs more than a Crown Victoria.
So why is it that Paul McCartney, vegan environmentalist, selected this car in particular? He claims it’s because it is a hybrid vehicle. No matter how efficient, it takes energy to push two and a quarter tons of car around. Despite being a hybrid, the fuel economy is an unimpressive 10.6 l/100 km in the city and 9.1 l/100 km on the highway (22/26 mpg). Hybrid, my ass. If McCartney would get better fuel economy if he chained a safe full of his money to the trailer hitch of a Camry hybrid. If he wants to be all fancy and sit in the back of a big car worth more than many peoples’ homes, that fine by me. Just don’t feed us bullshit about how it’s an environmentally responsible choice.
As often happens with these nutty celebrities who have lost all sight of normality, the story doesn’t end here. Lexus decided to send him the car by air rather than by ship. According to the Telegraph,
Carbon offsetting firm CO2balance.com said the plane journey would have caused a carbon footprint of 38,050kg, compared to 397kg for a three-week boat journey.
Co2balance.com Director Mike Rigby said: “That is the equivalent of driving the car around the world six times.”
The Telegraph quotes ‘a source’ as saying,
He’ll be horrified after learning it was delivered by plane. Paul has always campaigned for green issues and he can’t understand why anyone would send an enormous car from Japan to Britain on a plane.
I’d suggest that anyone who truly practises what McCartney preaches wouldn’t seen the need for an enormous car, no matter how it is delivered. Maybe the so called ‘green issues’ to which the unnamed source refers are about a different kind of green.
Kyp
What a crock… I’ve had it up to here with celebrities such as McCartney trying to preach environmental issues when they are responsible for the carbon footprint of at least four households and possibly an old rusty Chinese factory as well… do as I say and not as I do, much?