Filed under: Hybrid, GM, Toyota
Did Toyota hybrid sales peak in 2007?
2007 was a good year for hybrid sales. Total US sales in hybrids for 2007 were 40 percent higher than hybrid sales in 2006. Market-research firm J.D. Power & Associates thinks the total sales increase from 2007 to 2008 will be 7.4 percent. What about individual cars and companies making hybrids? Sales of the Prius were up 69 percent in 2007 but that sort of growth will not be coming to Toyota in 2008. Toyota's VP of Communications, Irv MIller, expects hybrid sales to drop one percent in 2008 (he thinks 275,000 hybrids will sell in 2008 vs 277,750 in 2007). JD Power says other players like GM will take more share in 2008 and will be a larger part of the growth in hybrids. GM makes very big hybrids and 2008 may be the year the idea of the hybrid SUV solidifies in the public mind. Perish the thought!
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[Source: Canada.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Tim 3:38PM (1/06/2008)
I think many potential hybrid buyers are waiting for the next generation of plug-in Extended-Range Electric Vehicles (E-REVs) or other new technologies including the approaching wave of diesels.
Plus, I also believe that many people are holding on to their old cars longer instead of incurring new debt because of economic and job insecurity. It sure is nice not to have a car payment when you lose your job to foreign workers or a failing Real Estate related marketplace.
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GreatGreenHammer 4:25PM (1/06/2008)
You're on FIRE today Lascelles!
One of the reasons I'm huge fan of AutoBlogGreen: You guys update the site like crazy. Should be nominated one of the best group blogs in the country. I know it's off topic, still wanted to say it.
thanks
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why not the LS2LS7? 1:09AM (1/07/2008)
I think looking at the current Toyota lineup it does appear they will drop a bit in hybrid sales/marketshare next year.
But we think this is likely because GM introed some new vehicles that make them a bigger competitor this year. Who is to say Toyota doesn't have some new hybrids also ready to be announced?
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Kardax 1:46PM (1/07/2008)
If Toyota's hybrid sales peak because of too much competition in the "hybrid" business, that's a good thing :)
I think the Prius itself is relatively safe. There's nothing else in the market that directly competes with it.
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philmcneal 7:46PM (1/07/2008)
[quote]You're on FIRE today Lascelles!
One of the reasons I'm huge fan of AutoBlogGreen: You guys update the site like crazy. Should be nominated one of the best group blogs in the country. I know it's off topic, still wanted to say it.
thanks[/quote]
i agree, ABG is my meth, while Green car congress is my crack!
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Lascelles Linton 8:30PM (1/07/2008)
Shawn, I personally don't like them because people really don't need SUVs. GM made a smart move but I think Toyota made a smarter move with the A-BAT again 1.) making something that's ugly but recognizably green and 2.) it's a smaller SUV. I am actually a big fan of the Mini SUV cheeps and I really think that segment is about to take off.
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Shawn 9:57PM (1/07/2008)
What do you mean "perish the thought" of hybrid SUVs? The market has proven that people who need they types of vehicles will not give them up regardless of how much gas they guzzle and how much CO2 they spew. Should you drive a Prius instead if you can? Of course, but hybrid SUVs are a great alternative saving up to 40% in gas and should be welcomed, not shunned. Some people need them.
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Charlotte 8:03PM (1/09/2008)
I think the dealers are horrible for lying about the mileage. I bought a honda civic hybrid and was told it would get 52 mpg. That is the ONLY reason I bought that car. That car in 1 1/2 years has never gotten more than 30 mpg. I was completely deceived by the dealer and I will tell everyone that will listen exactly what a ripoff the Honda hybrids are anyway.
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S. Shuman 8:20PM (1/09/2008)
This article is misleading . Since 2008 is only just begining , how can anyone tell what cars will be sold ? We will buy our second Prius this year or next .....
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Gary Ward 8:28PM (1/09/2008)
When I compared the cost of the hybrid, I found it saved me $51 per month in gas cost and would take over seven years to recover the additional cost of a hybrid. forget it.
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Lascelles Linton 8:33PM (1/09/2008)
S. Shuman, There is question mark and I do say 2008. Also, it's Toyota guiding lower sales. So I would guess they know if there is a second Prius. It's lower by 2,000 cars and trends like high fuel costs will probably push them over. The guide has a lot to do with the car market, which is not great now, and can go anywhere really. I would not be surprised if they moved it up soon. I personally don't think hybrid SUVs will do great in the market place. Anyway, down 2007 to 2008 is the company line...
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John 8:42PM (1/09/2008)
2007 was the year I bought my first Hybrid (Camry) and another SUV (Honda Pilot) - both for entirely different reasons. I wanted the Hybrid for everyday driving and the SUV as my wife's everyday driver and my occasional use to haul building materials, visiting family members or trips to the airport for all the neighbors. We usually put about 20,000 miles a year on my car and 5,000 on my wife's car. She feels safe in the Pilot. It has a commanding view of the road and is relatively economic to operate but no where near as efficient as my Camry. I average 35 in town and if I stay near the legal speed limit, close to 40 MPG on the highway. We will likely stay with this combination for many years. We considered a Hybrid SUV but the price premium on SUV hybrids will have to really come down to make me want to switch on our next purchase. Toyota needs to consider that point, as well.
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rtrrocket 8:48PM (1/09/2008)
None of these "green" vehicles are truly "green". Think about it. It take 4 times as much energy to produce a gallon of hydrogen than that gallon of hydrogen produces! That's not green no matter how you look at it. It would take every tillable acre of land in the U.S to produce the amount of ethanol that we would need if every gallon of gasoline was half ethanol (where are we going to get our food? Mexico?). Where are you going to put the 6,800 lithium/ion batteries that the Tesla electric car runs on when they die? (in the landfill of course). Plug in vehicles? Forget it. If we all plugged in our electric cars for 8 hours every night every coal fired power plant in the U.S. would be working at twice the capacity they are running now (spewing twice as much pollutants into the atmosphere than ever). Until some radical form of propulsion is utilized, only more efficient internal combustion is the true answer
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sarah 8:51PM (1/09/2008)
Has anyone heard if they're going to make a hybrid Suburban? I know the Tahoe is out now, but need the extra cargo room.
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G M Smith 8:56PM (1/09/2008)
Toyota has a large market share now due to their reputation for quality. The main problem I have with the prius is it's appearance and the fact that it is too small to be practical for my use. I own a Ford Escape Hybrid all wheel drive. It is two yrs old with about 55,000 trouble free miles on it. It is very comfortable, safe, and has cut my fuel use by half. During the warm season it averages just a bit over 30 mpg. Cold weather mileage is just over 24 mpg. Sustained 75 mph highway operation is 25 mpg. "Perish the thought"? My tiny SUV gets better fuel mileage than my Honda accord and it is far more comfortable.
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Rob 9:30PM (1/09/2008)
No one has mentioned what I believe the major reason for the drop in sales is, that being the reduced, if non-existent, tax credits. We tried to purchase a Toyota hybrid in late 2006 while the tax credits were at their maximum. However, when the dealer kept changing the arrival date of the vehicle, pushing it past the first cut in credits, we bailed. I'm sure many people were swayed into a purchase just for this reason.
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J. Vail 9:30PM (1/09/2008)
I personally use a non hybrid 06 Malibu that averages 29.8 mpg, and when I bought it I did not even consider a hybrid. Why? batteries, that is why. The world is full of electric vehicles, mostly forklifts and golf carts that are for sale a fire sale prices because they need $600 worth of batteries, (golf cart) or a $6000 battery (forklift) to make them work.
Just now hybrids are popular because they are precieved to be a solution, but consider, what will a Prius be in 6 years and with 60K miles? It will be an underpowered car that gets 30 mpg because it's tiny little engine is running wide open most of the time, because it has junk batteries in it that will cost $3k to replace. The second or third owner will not spend that kind of money on a used car.
If anything hybrid cars are a deadend, worse they are a distraction from the fuel cell technology that we need.
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RhondaJ 9:36PM (1/09/2008)
Keep your money. I purchased a ford hybrid escape and it is worthless. Eats as much gas as my 98 ford f150. I run it in the city under 40 and it only gets around 30mpg. So i wasted money and my time. This suv will not go in the snow, whatsoever. It is pretty much worthless.
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Joan 9:36PM (1/09/2008)
I'm looking forward to the diesels coming back full force. Right now diesel fuel is more expensive than premium gas....that is the fault of the oil companies...it takes LESS refining to make diesel fuel than regular gas!! Just another way to drain the pockets of the consumer for the wallets to fill for the big oil companies. I've had three diesel autos that got great mileage and were very reliable cars (Mercedes and VW). The newer diesels can use salad oil and can even mix with diesel fuel cleanly and QUIETLY. DIESEL is the way to go, but gotta get the price down on the fuel.
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Jane Cassady 9:49PM (1/09/2008)
I tried to buy a Saturn Aura hybrid, or a Chevy malibu hybrid. You cannot get them! They told me it would take until this summer before they could even guess when I might be able to get one. WHat a phoney advertising ploy. Don't pretend you have hybrids when you don't!
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