Hybrid sales chained to fuel prices?
CNW Marketing Research is reporting that around 30 percent of car shoppers were considering a hybrid a year back, and willing to pay a premium of almost $2,500 over a non-hybrid for the privilege. The interest level has dropped to just 12 percent now however, and the premium that's acceptable has fallen by over 50 percent to just $1,152. Fuel prices have fallen during the same period indicating a direct link between fuel prices and hybrids, whose main selling point is fuel economy.
Its hardly a surprising link, but with hybrid sales down from 2.1 percent in August to 1.6 percent in December, car makers must be wondering if their hybrid R&D costs are worth the effort. Nevertheless, car makers are continuing to drive forward technologies that will increase fuel economy, decrease green house gas emissions, and promote renewable energy sources.
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[Source: Eric Berger / SciGuy]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
janet 6:54PM (1/07/2007)
You make some good points about the need to repeal subsidies for fossil fuel production, as well as pointing out that artificially holding down prices at the pump is a poor idea on a number of levels, not the least of which is that it encourages further consumption.
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kert 3:07AM (1/08/2007)
Toyota is finally getting it. Stop selling hybrids ( and electric drivetrain in general ) just for its efficiency. The great benefit of electric drive should be nearly flat torque curve, i.e. performance. And people looove performance. If done right, electric will far have less maintenance in brakes and engine as well, but prius is not done right in that regard.
In short, make a sexy, high-performance electric or hybrid and it sells like a hotcake regardless of oil prices. Oh, wait, thats what Tesla does ..
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