Hybrid car sales on the decline

[LagunaH1]

http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/30/autos/hybrid_car_sales/index.htm?iid=HP_Highlight&hpt=hp_c2

Quote:
"The biggest reason people aren't buying them is cost, industry analysts say. While gasoline may be relatively expensive it's still not pricey enough to make the thousands of dollars more that a hybrid car costs worth the investment."

 

[3Hummers]

When you can buy a non-hybrid vehicle that gets 40 mpg it is hard to justify spending 10-15% more for one that gets 50 mpg.

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

:agree: Why we dont drive Prius' for daily driving. I like my H3:giggle: Though i might drive the H1 more than the H3

 

[LagunaH1]

Exactly... If I was looking for a fuel friendly daily driver I'd look for a modern Diesel or a real "econobox" like a Toyota Yaris.

Edit: If the hybrid drive was an option at no extra cost THEN I might consider it, but that's not real likely given that the components are not cheap

 

[3Hummers]

Same here. If it were the same cost or only marginally more expensive I can see it. The payback on the delta in cost is longer than most people keep a car so why do it?

 

[WarMongur]

Exactly... If I was looking for a fuel friendly daily driver I'd look for a modern Diesel or a real "econobox" like a Toyota Yaris.

Edit: If the hybrid drive was an option at no extra cost THEN I might consider it, but that's not real likely given that the components are not cheap

What was your "other" car btw? :huh:

 

[LagunaH1]

My Daily driver is a 2010 Ford Fusion V6

 

[alrock]

I think it is great that California has removed the Prius exemption from the HOV lane. Let's see what happens to the resale values in that state now.

 

[LagunaH1]

It's been that way a while.

BTW: This is my post # 300!!

 

[WarMongur]

I think it is great that California has removed the Prius exemption from the HOV lane. Let's see what happens to the resale values in that state now.

They did not remove is per se, they simply no longer provide carpool lane stickers for these vehicles. Existing vehicles with them are still permitted.

 

[Nacho]

They did not remove is per se, they simply no longer provide carpool lane stickers for these vehicles. Existing vehicles with them are still permitted.

The yellow sticker exemption (Hybrid) ended on July 1st. Now the only solo drivers allowed in HOV lanes are those with the white sticker, which is for NGV and all electric vehicles.
http://dmv.ca.gov/vr/decal.htm

 

[Zach]

The yellow sticker exemption (Hybrid) ended on July 1st. Now the only solo drivers allowed in HOV lanes are those with the white sticker, which is for NGV and all electric vehicles.
http://dmv.ca.gov/vr/decal.htm

When they first changed the law for the HOV lane they had nothing but Prius owners crying about how long it will take them to get to work. :gaah: Join the club! I still see some of them thinking they can drive in the HOV lane getting pulled over and ticketed

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

IMO I hope this will be a good ridance and start to shed some sense into tree huggers

 

[3Hummers]

Lots of the hybrids still have the stickers on them. I know a used Prius with the carpool lane sticker on it, when they were still good, brought a nice premium over a later model Prius that didn't qualify for the sticker. Convienence has a value.

 

[Trevon]

I think the whole hybrid thing is pretty dumb because Europe has vehicles like the VW Polo Blue (http://jalopnik.com/190474/go-blue-volkswagens-diesel+sipping-polo-gets-72-mpg) that gets great mileage but is AFAIK restricted from the U.S. Everyone here is living in their little bubble thinking the Prius is good, just ignorant of what else is better; buying up everything the media has said.

Diesels are great for this stuff, some new full-sizes get more than 30mpg.

 

[3Hummers]

Yep, wouldn't it be great to have some small diesel trucks and cars. Too bad diesel is a bad word in the US.

 

[M22KLARS]

 

[DJinCO]

1) I don't fit in a econobox
2) Why would I want something around me with the tensile strength of a can of Pepsi?
3) In Colorado many of the other vehicles on the road weigh at least 4000lbs.
4) I crap bigger than a "smart car"

 

[3Hummers]

I think a Smart car would fit in the back of the HMC4 with the tailgate down.

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

:agree: :giggle:

 

[Portager]

I don't think it is coincidental that Hybrid sales peaked in 2009 and the tax incentives ended between 2007 and 2010. http://www.hybridcars.com/federal-incentives.html "Toyota and Lexus hybrids became ineligible in September 2007. Honda lost its eligibility on Jan. 1, 2009, and Ford's expired March 31, 2010."

Informed buyers compare the total cost of ownership at one of the many sites available online. For example, comparing the Ford Fusion sedan to the Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan at http://www.edmunds.com/tco.html the cost to own and operate the Fusion sedan for 5 years is $41,624 compared to the Hybrid at $47,465 or $5,841 more to drive the Hybrid based on a 5-year estimate with 15,000 miles driven per year. Although the hybrid saves $4,075 in fuel, it costs $12,607 more to buy so depreciation, taxes and fees and financing costs are higher, but fuel and insurance are lower. BTW, the Ford Fusion Hybrid breakeven point is around 150,000 miles. When the tax incentive was still available the lower cost Hybrids dominated sales because their cost premium was less than or close to the tax incentive. Now that the tax incentive is gone hybrids don't make economical sense.

I bought a Honda Civic GX compressed natural gas car in 2006. The CNG premium was $4,000 which matched the tax incentive so my after taxes premium was zero. Since it is an ultra low emission vehicle, I got the silver HOV lane stickers which are good through 2015. I get 34 miles per equivalent gallon, but the cost of fuel is $2.15 per equivalent gallon. So the fuel cost for my 64 mile daily commute is $4.30 in the Civic GX versus $18.50 in the H3T. So I save $14.20 per day or $3,550 per year just on fuel cost. In addition I'm putting 16,000 fewer miles on the H3T per year and get to take the HOV lane for the next 4 years which saves me about 10 minutes per day (when I lived in Diamond Bar the HOV lane saved me 35 minutes per day).

If you look at the bottom on the http://www.hybridcars.com/federal-incentives.html link there is a list of vehicles that qualify for incentive and there are 9 "clean diesel" vehicle incentives.