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Reported US Sales of Hybrids in April Pass 3% Market Share of New Vehicles Sold
5 May 2008
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| New vehicle market share for reported hybrid sales. Click to enlarge. |
Reported US sales of hybrids in April climbed 46% to 39,898 units from April 2007. While April is the second-highest reported monthly total of hybrid sales, the increase in hybrid volume combined with the general decrease in light-duty vehicle sales (earlier post) pushed the new vehicle market share for hybrids past the 3% mark for the first time, to 3.2%. The results do not include hybrid sales from GM.
Sales of Toyota’s Prius were up 67% to 21,757 units. Toyota has now sold more than 680,000 Priuses in total in the US (more than 514,000 beginning in 2004), and will likely break the 700,000-unit mark next month.
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| Reported US sales of hybrids. Click to enlarge. |
Camry Hybrid sold 6,678 units, up 51% from April 2007, representing 16.7% of all Camry models sold. The Highlander Hybrid sold 2,578 units, up 8% from last year, representing 25.8% of all Highlander models sold—the highest hybrid percentage of any brand with mixed conventional and hybrid powertrain models on the market.
The Lexus Rx 400h sold 1,624 units, up 17%, and representing 22.7% of Rx sales. The GS 450h posted 82 units, a drop of 53% from April 2007, representing 5.2% of GS sales. The top-end LS 600h sold 122 units, for 6.1% of all LS sales.
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| Hybrid component of brand sales. Click to enlarge. |
The Honda Civic Hybrid posted 4,324 units, a 51% increase from April 2007, representing 12.7% of all Civic models sold. Sales of the Accord Hybrid dropped 92% from last April to 25 units, for 0.1% of all Accord sales.
Ford posted combined Escape and Mariner hybrid sales of 1,907 units, a 16% drop from last April, for 10.3% of all Escape and Mariner models sold.
Nissan sold 801 units of the Altima hybrid in its limited distribution, for 3.5% of all Altima sales.
May 5, 2008 in Hybrids, Sales | Permalink | Comments (69) | TrackBack (0)
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With all the talk about the world coming to an end from global warming if we don't go from giant SUV's to fuel-sipping hybrid-electric vehicles, I prefer not to hear anybody crying in their beer about unemployment among US autoworkers caused by cars from Japan or South Korea.
Posted by: Alex Kovnat | May 5, 2008 11:13:14 AM
Some observations:
Prius sales up 67%, Camry Hybrid up 51%, Honda Civic Hybrid up 51%.....Ford Escape/Mariner Hybrids DOWN 16%??? Huh? Why in the world did Ford Escape Hybrids have a sales decrease?
Total share of the new vehicle market is now past 3%... That's it? Just 3%??? Gas is approaching $4.00/gal. and all they can sell is 3% of all of the new cars sold as hybrids? What's the problem?
Posted by: Schmeltz | May 5, 2008 11:22:37 AM
Hybrids sale over the 3% barrier. Its amazing to see what a combined economic slowdown and $4+/gal gas can do to buyers behavior.
More of the same incentives may push hybrids sale to 5% by year end, if they are available.
The improved Prius in January 2009 will be a gate crasher.
Posted by: Harvey D | May 5, 2008 11:23:04 AM
Schmeltz,
Don't be so quick to bash these numbers. 3% of the total new car market is a huge proportion when you consider the limited selection of hybrids. What you should be considering is the large saturation of the currently produced hybrids. Companies who are serious about offering the hybrid model aka. Honda and Toyota are showing gangbuster numbers for these models. Companies like GM and Ford produce hybrid models for show, but refuse to offer these cars in mass quantities because of slim profit margins. Some companies want to claim to be green yet refuse to step up to the plate.
That point aside, this news is very encouraging and will likely begin to encourage other car makers to produce hybrids. If every company was making hybrids like Toyota we would see market share through the roof. Look at Toyota, they have only 3 hybrid models available and those 3 hybrid models make up 15% of their vehicle sales. 15%!! And that is only 3 models. The potential is there, it is all about costs. It is a long term shift but we will get there eventually, it's not going to happen overnight.
Posted by: Sicnarf | May 5, 2008 11:34:02 AM
>> Why in the world did Ford Escape Hybrids have a sales decrease? <<
Given the fact that it is the highest mileage small SUV available (so they should be selling all they can make)...I'm guessing this sales decrease is due to the fact that they didn't have vehicles to sell.
For whatever reason Ford has constantly given excuses for why it produces so few of these vehicles - normally centered on the batteries, although Cobasys is selling GM all the NiMH they want. Makes you wonder if there is something else going on here - maybe Ford doesn't make much money on them. Just a thought.
Posted by: Sasparilla | May 5, 2008 11:34:56 AM
"Camry Hybrid sold 6,678 units, up 51% from April 2007.."
This and the Altima are the ones to watch. The Nissan hybrid is only sold in a few states, but that could change.
The Excape/Mariner numbers could be do to a lack of availability. Ford complained more than a year ago that they could not get the components. Now the only ones on the lots are the loaded high priced ones in fewer numbers.
Posted by: SJC | May 5, 2008 11:35:50 AM
Um, I believe Toyota is selling all of the Prius's they can make.
I get 45mpg going 80mph on the highway.
55mpg in the cooler months
48 mpg in the summer in Arizona with the airconditioner going.
My last car was a Cadilac Catera (19mpg)which averaged a trip to the shop once every 6 weeks for the 7 yrs I had it. The prius has never been in the shop once (1.5yrs old).
I was considering a Lexus, but opted for the Prius - that alone saved me $10,000+.
Compared to the 19mpg of the catera, and the fact that i'm putting on 18,000 miles per year, saves me about $2,000 a year in gas money over the catera @ $3.00 gas.
Posted by: Tom | May 5, 2008 11:40:42 AM
clarification:
55 mpg is around town with a mix of highway and city driving as well as the 48 mpg number.
I don't know what the delta is on the freeway between hot / cold months.
Posted by: Tom | May 5, 2008 11:43:06 AM
3% is five doublings away from 100%. Paging Moore's law...
Posted by: Hybrid fan | May 5, 2008 11:46:53 AM
I have no doubt that they'd be over 5% if there were enough on the market to sell that many.
CNN says that most Americans are expecting $5 gas. Oil prices surged over $120 today, with no end in sight. But oil demand is down 2.7% over year-ago levels. At 20.5 million barrels per day last year, that comes out to almost 600,000 barrels per day. Which is more than the 400k per day drop from Mexico.
Can we get to -5%, I wonder?
Posted by: Cervus | May 5, 2008 11:49:25 AM
I suspect we won't need a gas tax to "artificially" raise the price of gas after all... the way the political environment[around the world] has been going and continued increase in use of resources (developing nations, not the US) it looks like high gas prices are hear to stay. We seem to be right at the tipping point where people, for the most part, begin to step into smaller vehicles, more hybrids, and drive less often.
Posted by: Patrick | May 5, 2008 12:02:59 PM
Big three are still playing catch up and will be for years, maybe decades. GM is trying to do a little leapfrog with their Volt platform, Ford is caught like a deer in the headlights, and Chrysler is still undecided whether it wants to be a car company or a fire-breathing, multi-headed guard dog.
Toyota's price is spot on. None of the big three wants to compete in that sized hybrid car because they will get slaughtered. So, they put out their few thousand hybridized SUVs per year and call themselves green ... cigars and bonuses all around. Harumph.
Posted by: NCydr | May 5, 2008 12:05:17 PM
To be clear, I wasn't bashing the article, but I am taken back by the news. I was expecting quite a bit more actually like 7% or 8%, not 3%. Just disappointing IMHO. An increase is an increase though, and that's the bright spot I guess.
Ford is disappointing with their Escape Hybrid sales. From what I've read, it's a good vehicle...just no dealers have them. It is definitely a vehicle on my short list, (if my short list had money). If I was Ford, I would put a "priority order" on those things. Maybe it's like one of the posters suggested above in that Ford loses money on them, therefore isn't inclined to push them. Don't know.
Posted by: Schmeltz | May 5, 2008 12:14:48 PM
NCydr - when you look at the difference in base price for a Toyota Corolla vs the Ford Focus and Chevy Cobalt "XFE" it doesn't look like ford and GM are that far behind anymore (on small vehicles). Extra price on the Corolla buys you a bit of reliability and reputation...fuel economy is close on all three. Suspension & braking in the Ford and Chevy are probably on par if not slightly better than the Toyota (Corollas have a rear suspension system like a truck - torsion beam - which sacrifices handling).
Posted by: Patrick | May 5, 2008 12:19:15 PM
"I was expecting quite a bit more actually like 7% or 8%, not 3%."
To paraphrase others here, "They can only sell as many as they make." Hybrids are now out of stock, and the waiting lists are growing. Note to car makers: if you want to sell cars, make hybrids!
I also like the specs on the Escape hybrid, have the money but, (A) can't find one, (B) am not convinced of Fords long term support of hybrids, they seem to be refocusing on diesels.
Posted by: Hybrid fan | May 5, 2008 12:25:04 PM
I decided to upgrade my scooter to a Suzuki Burgman 400 from my Honda Reflex 250. Same MPG (I got 64mpg last tank) but more power and safer at freeway speeds. This means I can ride it every day. That halves my gasoline use.
And I swear that every third Prius I see here in San Diego is brand new with dealer plates.
Posted by: Cervus | May 5, 2008 12:28:21 PM
Toyota lost money on Prius the first three years. It's called doing business.
Posted by: sulleny | May 5, 2008 12:41:17 PM
@Patrick
My comments were concerning the hybrid vehicles.
Posted by: NCyder | May 5, 2008 12:43:30 PM
Another thought on this...wonder what will happen to Hybrid sales when the clean diesels start rolling in? Over at Motor Trend, Angus Mackenzie just blogged about driving an Audi A4 TDI, and after some pretty hard thrashing, still got a respectable 34 mpg. A quote from the article: "On one 200-mile stint, I averaged – averaged – 83 mph, and got 34 mpg." He went on to say, "That’s why I think a diesel is the ideal all-arounder. You get great mileage without having to drive a penalty box. Mooching around the narrow backroads and farm tracks of the Algarve at 30-50 mph, the A4 TDI returned 47 mpg. Hustling along winding two lanes at 30-70 mph, constantly braking, shifting and accelerating, it got 33 mpg. I can’t imagine how hard you’d have to thrash this thing to get less than 30 mpg."
Clearly those mpg's are in Hybrid territory there. Interesting.
Posted by: Schmeltz | May 5, 2008 1:02:49 PM
Schmeltz:
Considering that diesel averages over $4.20 a gallon nationwide while gasoline is still at 3.62... I don't think they're going to have much of an impact. Any efficiency gains are negated by the greater fuel expense.
Posted by: Cervus | May 5, 2008 1:12:08 PM
I finally joined the hybrid army last week. I purchased a used 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid. Not the most efficient hybrid out there, but still better than 95% of all vehicles out there. I am getting 28mpg in the city and 35mpg on the highway. I purchased from Boch Honda (Norwood, MA). My 1998 Toyota Camry lasted me 234,000 miles after 9.75 years of use.
I had inquired from Boch Toyota (next door to Boch Honda) about the availability of new Priuses. After the April 26-27 weekend, they had ONE new Prius on the lot. Folks, this is the largest Toyota dealership in the world (their claim, not mine), and they only had one Prius after the last weekend of April. With gas prices NOT coming down, the hybrid WAITING LISTS will come back this summer.
Posted by: David | May 5, 2008 1:32:19 PM
Clean diesel is interesting for open highway driving and as such has applications for North America, but for start/stop and regen braking, you need Hybrid. There's nothing worse than being stuck in stop and go traffic, burning fuel and sucking fumes. Along with everyone else.
Posted by: Hybrid fan | May 5, 2008 1:47:15 PM
Having a few diesel come out this fall won't dent the hybrid sales at all. Why?
1) People need more high MPG choices, and more choices = more people who'll find a high mpg vehicle they like
(people wanting a diesel vs hybrid are a little different)
2) The hybrid production of the most popular models is pretty much maxed out (and therefore can't really go above 3%)
3) it doesn't sound like the volumes of TDIs coming this fall will be very big (probably not big enough to meet demand)
Posted by: Karkus | May 5, 2008 2:31:48 PM
Schmeltz:
The Motor Trend article is BS. How many people drive 200 miles at 83mph.....in the USA. I'm sure the Audi A4 TDI is great on the Autobahn. On America's congested roads, the Prius is "The Car to Beat".
Posted by: DS | May 5, 2008 2:38:41 PM
Clean diesels can hardly be called clean when you compare them to gasoline hybrids.
Posted by: sola | May 5, 2008 2:40:39 PM
Out of 200 models in the Market, only 14 are Hybrids, again 5 of them were GM, which they dont seem to sell with enthusiasm.
Also 3 years ago, Hybrids had < 1% market share, and jumping to 3 % is a great achievement. As more people come to about Hybrids, and more models become available, it will become more popular.
1 more Important Point, Hybrids are always premium vehicles with lot of extra features. If companies can sell without the extras, they can capture more share.
Posted by: Max Reid | May 5, 2008 2:41:19 PM
I-10 between the Arizona state line and Las Cruces NM gives you about 200 miles where you can get away with averaging more than 100mph as long as you slow down whenever you get within a few miles of the few towns along the way.
Posted by: Patrick | May 5, 2008 2:52:36 PM
Total April US auto sales were 655,432 cars, 591,122 light trucks.
That means hybrids accounted for over 5% of cars sold and around 1% of light trucks.
Posted by: Santos | May 5, 2008 3:46:57 PM
Car sales have overtaken Truck Sales in both April month and YTD. As more people consider cars, they will also start considering Hybrids.
Times have changed. Diesel cars are not going to help as it could increase Diesel prices and also the food prices.
May be Natgas is a good option. Time to look beyond Gasolene and Crude Oil.
Posted by: Max Reid | May 5, 2008 5:04:26 PM
After owning my Altima hybrid for 4 months now, I'm still lovin' every time I get to drive it. The more hybrid owners, the more people will dispel the myths about them. I bought mine from "word of mouth" recommendations, and the word keeps spreading. I have yet to talk to one hybrid owner who would not buy another one.
And BTW, we have been actively seeking a Ford Escape Hybrid. The numbers are down because you just can't find one.
3.2% Hmmm, imagine if GM released their hybrid numbers?
It would be 3.2000001% !!!
Posted by: steve | May 5, 2008 5:31:24 PM
"Clean diesel is interesting for open highway driving and as such has applications for North America, but for start/stop and regen braking, you need Hybrid."
"On America's congested roads, the Prius is 'The Car to Beat'."
Those are interesting points. It sounds like Hybrids are best for congested urban areas, and diesels are better everywhere else. Nice that at least we may all have choices very, very soon.
Posted by: Schmeltz | May 5, 2008 6:12:50 PM
Diesel are not a solution for US, too many cars are already diesel in Europe in addition to truck and buses, as a result the diesel fuel is in short supply and its price is now higher than gasoline. Keep in mind this fact, when you refine a barrel of oil you get ~ 40% of gazoline and 20% of desel fuel, so a massive shift of car to diesel in US will send the price of fuel through the roof and the price of gazoline will decrease, anyway diesel don't pass Californian emissions unless you spray urea in the exhaust anad use and expensive 3 way catalyst.
a diesel requires a very high pressure pump, a turbo, a sophisticated catalyst, a particule filter, is more noisy, heavier. I think diesel are mainly for big truck.
By the way why nobody has ever proposed a diesel working on gazoline, ok there might so lubricating problem in the high pressure pump but not a showstopper, gazoline vaporizes faster so the combustion would be faster and you could inject after TDC then limiting peak temperature. In fact Mercedes is proposing what they call Diesel-Otto.
Maybe Rafael can give us expertise on this
Posted by: treehugger | May 5, 2008 8:03:54 PM
"It sounds like Hybrids are best for congested urban areas, and diesels are better everywhere else." Not true. Hybrids offer far better emissions and every hybrid purchase helps to set the stage for EVs. Clean diesels are better than standard gasoline ICE vehicles, especially for large trucks.
Posted by: VaPrius | May 5, 2008 8:08:08 PM
Those are interesting points. It sounds like Hybrids are best for congested urban areas, and diesels are better everywhere else. Nice that at least we may all have choices very, very soon.
Schmeltz, you crack me up with your dieselphilia. I think it would be more accurate to say that diesels are best for freeway use, and hybrids are better everywhere else. And given the price premium for diesel, they might not be "best" anywhere.
Posted by: George | May 5, 2008 8:21:52 PM
Quoth Schmeltz:
I am taken back by the news. I was expecting quite a bit more actually like 7% or 8%, not 3%.Hybrid sales only recently broke 1%, and then 2%. There are 3 more whole-percent records before 7%, so lay in some good potables for each one.
Quoth Hybrid Fan:
Note to car makers: if you want to sell cars, make hybrids!The lost opportunity of the PNGV cancellation becomes more obvious with each passing day.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | May 5, 2008 8:59:06 PM
Within a decade, if an automobile company doesn't have a substantial offering of hybrids, phevs, and evs, it's a dead duck. Peak Oil will run through the system like a Tsunami. The issues involved with Peak Oil are only just now starting to surface. So Ford and GM had better become very serious very fast or they'll be smoking cigars as they fade into history.
Posted by: Robert Marston | May 5, 2008 10:37:20 PM
I agree. I think GM got caught flat footed and are trying to stall and scramble. Ford is the only one that got ahead of the curve with the Escape in 2004 and they are still slow on the draw.
Posted by: SJC | May 5, 2008 10:52:15 PM
"Ford is the only one that got ahead of the curve with the Escape in 2004"
Hardly, it was done as a token and still is. They have a great vehicle (thanks to Toyota) and are missing a great opportunity. They have no plans to increase production and have nothing else in the works. People what these small SUVs and cannot get them.
Posted by: VaPrius | May 6, 2008 3:05:43 AM
Ford and gm cant make more hybrids until thier lithium ion contracts work out. They simply cant get more numh battery packs then a token amount.
As for sales of trucks its finaly going back to mostly those who axtualy need an suv as the fad died. But unless they do something to make roads and specialy car vs big rig crashes safer cars will grow bigger. All over the world people are buying bigger cars and its not just because they want more room.
Posted by: wintermane | May 6, 2008 3:51:37 AM
George said:
"Schmeltz you crack me up with your dieselphilia"...
Just wondering, is dieselphilia something that's contagious?
Posted by: Schmeltz | May 6, 2008 5:03:54 AM
@Schmeltz:
Do you take into account the higher energy content of diesel? It's an often overlooked fact that you should subtract around 10% of the mileage before comparing the numbers to gasoline.
Posted by: Anne | May 6, 2008 6:09:28 AM
anne u talk BS
Posted by: | May 6, 2008 6:37:52 AM
Check your facts and you'll see I am right.
Posted by: Anne | May 6, 2008 6:44:09 AM
Another related news. Big-3 vehicle sales (in USA) for April 2008 were below 50% of total sales for the first time in history.
Increased Hybrid sales were a small (but growing) part of it.
With more hybrids coming, this trend will prpbably continue and gather momentum for many more months.
Posted by: Harvey D | May 6, 2008 6:48:40 AM
Ford pretty much gave up on hybrids in June of 2006 when their target of 250k units by 2010 was way off base. Instead Ford has focused on flex fuel vehicles which have more achievable targets. Too bad because the Escape is still a good car with decent mileage. Unfortunately people buying hybrids want something that LOOKS different than a typical SUV and its attendant guzzling reputation.
So Bill Ford should have taken the full clue from the Japanese. If you introduce a new technology based on fuel economy and buyers' desire to be green - make a new vehicle. A pig fed low fat granola is still a pig.
Posted by: sulleny | May 6, 2008 7:42:37 AM
"Do you take into account the higher energy content of diesel? It's an often overlooked fact that you should subtract around 10% of the mileage before comparing the numbers to gasoline."
as a consumer I am indifferent to which fuel has more BTUs; just "how far can I go on one litre of this stuff?". it is true that diesel fuel contains more energy than gasoline, but the diesel engine is also inherently more efficient. granted, for town use a hybrid may be marginally better, depending on how much time you spend stuck in traffic, but as said above diesels are great if you do a lot of highway miles.
Posted by: eric | May 6, 2008 8:34:18 AM
as a consumer I am not indifferent to the environmental impact of my car. That was the basis of my post. I didn't think about the economic reasons for choosing a diesel over a gasoline.
Posted by: Anne | May 6, 2008 9:23:44 AM
the whole diesel argument is rather bogus in the current climate. first off, diesel is currently the most expensive fuel in the US, even more expensive than octane 91 gasoline, so whatever fuel economy savings you gain, they all go down the drain in terms of money paid to travel x miles.
also, hybrids are vastly superior in terms of their emissions profiles, and there's increasing awareness about such issues, so consumers (i'd hope) would be more inclined to buy a cleaner vehicle (really, you just need a good salesperson)
Posted by: lensovet | May 6, 2008 12:59:55 PM
The savings of diesel don't all get lost to fuel costs. Diesel costs about 17% more here, but I increased my average mileage from ~18-22 MPG to ~35 MPG when I traded my Taurus for a Passat TDI.
If dieselphilia is infectious, maybe that explains it. On the other hand, if I had a choice between TDI and GDI today, I'd be likely to go GDI.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | May 6, 2008 4:12:17 PM
sulleny: "people buying hybrids want something that LOOKS different"
Not true! The Toyota Camry and the Honda Civic, to a lesser degree, sell well. The Civic's only problem is that Honda tuned it too much for performance. People buy Hybrids to use less gas, to save money or the environment. Any manufacturer that wants to sell Hybrids needs to make sure the get the best mileage possible.
Posted by: VaPrius | May 6, 2008 7:49:04 PM
The Honda Civic is not tuned for performance. I have one and my 60 mpg tank (current) can attest that it does get the best mileage possible. It has a smaller ICE engine than a Prius - how can that be "tuned for performance". I think you are thinking of the Accord - now discontinued.
Posted by: David P | May 7, 2008 2:41:36 AM
"sulleny: "people buying hybrids want something that LOOKS different"
Not true! The Toyota Camry and the Honda Civic..."
And the Ford Escape Hybrid is SOLD OUT. They are unavailable. You can't find them. If Ford made 1000 more today, they would sell them all today. The problem with the Ford Escape Hybrid isn't that it's an SUV, it's that it's easier to find a 2008 Volt for sale.
I want something smaller than a Highlander but bigger than a Prius. Judging by the utter lack of available Escape hybrids, so do a lot of people.
Posted by: Hybrid Fan | May 7, 2008 4:45:25 AM
Surely most people care more about cost per distance, total cost of ownership and clean air than they do about MPG or liters/100km or what kind of fuel they pump into their vehicle's tank. With Diesel engines dirtier than gasoline engines, with Diesel fuel significantly more expensive than gasoline, and given the observed high reliability possible with hybrid drives, we have to expect that hybrids will soon dominate the market. It seems likely that they will be gasoline hybrids rather than Diesel hybrids.
Posted by: richard schumacher | May 7, 2008 7:54:29 AM
The new clean diesels won't have any impact on availability or price of diesel fuel - commercial use drives diesel demand.
Plus, the new diesels are shipping in tiny numbers compared to gasoline hybrids, so if you thought the Escape was hard to get, try buying a new diesel Sportwagen.
Posted by: Bill | May 7, 2008 8:32:05 AM
Even if we expand from 3% to 100% by doubling every year. It will be 2012 before we ship 16m hybrids per year. Add another 15 years to replace the US fleet of 280m vehicles and we are looking at 2027. By then, there won't be any gas to put into hybrids.
The auto industry is in decline. We need a revolution. Look to the east. MASDAR. npr story
Posted by: Realist | May 12, 2008 9:49:27 PM
Diesel is in relatively short supply with Chinese imports rocketing. IN France diesel is now €1.40 plus per litre, very close to petrol - there used to be a big differeence but not any more.
What's holding back Hybrid manufacture? Cobalt I expect. NiMH takes a lot of it (1.4kg per Prius) and it is in short supply plus very expensive. The market is undersupplied as it is - like the Lithium market, 30% undersupplied now with all the growth coming from electronics, never mind cars.
Posted by: Emphyrio | May 14, 2008 10:51:47 AM
Why is it that every poster who seems to want electrified vehicles, is also an unqualified conspiracy theory nut?
Ford isn't building hybrids because its evil capitalists management doesn't want to build them?
That is absurd.
Ford would rather lose money, than build all the hybrids that its customers want;, that are so easy to sell for full price?
Stop the absurdity.
You theorize that GM is purposely withholding building hybrids while its dealers lots fill with light trucks that it will have to discount for a loss, to try and clear? Oh really? Your thesis is patently absurd.
You sure must be a full time believer in the intrinsic and conpiritorial evils of your fellow man, while maintaining a firm faith in the governmental idiots, who seem never to be correct on anything.
All the automakers are Purposely not building all the hybrid vehicles that it could sell?
This is juvenile thinking, and also a well known attempt to make devils of our respected leaders. In this case, industrial leaders who are targetted to be nominated as devils. Reminds me of the need to dehumanize and excoriate in turn, Menchaviks, Kulaks, Jews, Gypsies, counterrevolutionaries, etc, in preparation of the "need" to liquidate the evil doers.
Why does this all sound so familiar? Open your history books and see how you are being manipulated.
Ford, hybrid sale are down for a simple reason; the factories don't exist to produce the components in volumes wanted and needed, to manufacture more hybrids.
Sanyo Electric, a Japanese company, has not been meeting its contracted committments to deliver contracted components to Ford. These parts seem to be being delivered to Japanese companies who want them, instead.
This has Ford's management upset. And also call into question their belief in the reliability of foreign suppliers.
Posted by: stas peterson | May 15, 2008 11:43:51 AM
Why is it that every other poster, is also an unqualified conspiracy theory nut?
Ford isn't building hybrids because its evil capitalists management doesn't want to build them?
That is absurd.
Ford would rather lose money, than build all the hybrids that its customers want; that are so easy to sell for full price or more?
Stop the absurdity.
You theorize that GM is purposely withholding building hybrids while its dealers lots fill with light trucks that it will have to discount for a loss, to try and clear? Oh really?
Your thesis is patently absurd.
You sure must be a full time believer in the intrinsic and conspiritorial evils of your fellow man, while maintaining a firm faith in the governmental second guessers. Why do they seem to never to be correct on anything?
All the automakers are PURPOSELY not building all the hybrid vehicles that the automakers could sell?
This is juvenile thinking, and also a well known attempt to make devils of our respected leaders. In this case, industrial managers who are targetted to be nominated as devils. Reminds me of the need to dehumanize and excoriate in turn, Menchaviks, Kulaks, Jews, Gypsies, counterrevolutionaries, etc, in preparation of the "need" to liquidate the evil doers.
Why does this all sound so familiar? Open your history books and see how you are being manipulated.
Ford's hybrid sale are down for a simple reason; the factories don't exist to produce the components in volumes wanted and needed, to manufacture more hybrids.
Sanyo Electric, a Ford supplier and a a Japanese company, has not been meeting its contracted committments to deliver contracted components to Ford. Some of thse hybrid parts might be being delivered to Japanese companies who want them, instead. But perhaps the factories simply are having problems making the parts.
This has Ford's management upset. And also call into question their belief in the reliability of foreign suppliers. But no one is implicating a conspiracy.
Posted by: stas peterson | May 15, 2008 12:04:29 PM
>> Sanyo Electric, a Ford supplier and a a Japanese company, has not been meeting its contracted committments to deliver contracted components to Ford. This has Ford's management upset. And also call into question their belief in the reliability of foreign suppliers. <<
A small point here. Ford has been complaining about this for years, like since they started making the Escape Hybrid. They should have gotten another supplier by now (Cobasys or someone else for example). Shame on Ford management here (if this indeed what the issue still is).
Another point with Ford. They had planned (years ago) on making a huge push with Hybrids by 2010, however they had financial difficulties (weren't selling so many profitable SUV's). The new CEO threw all of those plans overboard to focus on things that required less investment, they essentially bet on cheaper gas in the future (a year or two ago). If they had followed through on their hybrid push they'd be sitting pretty...as it is they bet on the wrong horse and are reaping the rewards. Which is too bad, their old hybrid plans were ambitious.
Posted by: Sasparilla | May 16, 2008 11:30:58 AM
Adding this...I just found this here: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/05/16/why-is-ford-only-building-25-000-hybrid-escapes-and-mariners-thi/
This article explains why Ford is only building 25k Escape Hybrids a year. Here's a snippet.
Ford claims they can get as many batteries as they need. It turns out that it's a business decision. With the plant running at capacity, in order for Ford to build more hybrids, they would have to cut production of the other models. Although no one from Ford was willing to openly admit it, the continued references to building as many Escapes as they can while limiting hybrid production at an arbitrary number indicates that it comes down to profit. Ford can clearly make a larger profit margin on the non-hybrid models and has made the calculation that 25,000 is enough to indicate they are serious while still maximizing cash flow wherever they can.
Posted by: Sasparilla | May 16, 2008 12:00:03 PM
whatever happened to the Ford escape hybrid with batteries and a flex fuel engine?
Posted by: joe sixpack | May 22, 2008 11:59:24 AM
I visited a Ford showroom when gas was $3 a gallon and asked to see an Escape hybrid. The salesman said they did not have one and did not expect any. I asked why. He told me that Ford was not planning on building many because the price differential between a hybrid and a regular Escape was so large that it would not make economic sense for a customer to buy one unless gas was $4 a gallon or more.
Need I say more?
Posted by: Ira Perman | May 27, 2008 6:29:14 PM
Come on May hybrid numbers! Go, go, go ....
My job depends on it (to some extent) ...
Posted by: NCyder | Jun 2, 2008 6:44:45 AM
Watch the movie , "Who killed the electric car", I wouldn't be surprised by anything politicans, oil companies and the big 3 auto companies do. Greed rules the day in America!!
Posted by: | Jun 3, 2008 2:30:49 PM
It's a movie. Except for that - words fail me.
Posted by: toppaTom | Jun 11, 2008 7:13:48 AM
Someone "way above wrote":
Big three are still playing catch up and will be for years, maybe decades. GM is trying to do a little leapfrog with their Volt platform, Ford is caught like a deer in the headlights, and Chrysler is still undecided whether it wants to be a car company or a fire-breathing, multi-headed guard dog.
Toyota's price is spot on. None of the big three wants to compete in that sized hybrid car because they will get slaughtered. So, they put out their few thousand hybridized SUVs per year and call themselves green ... cigars and bonuses all around. Harumph
Finally,...someone gets it! Our car manufacturers don't give a S__T about changing tides; they really can't. If we could ever pursue and just do correct "buyer transition" studies like other countries,...that actually build products and services based on sentiment, this country could be great again.
Make no bones about it,...this country is failing. The only good business in this country now, is the guy/gal who own a third generation Pizza House; with a "special sauce recipe.
We all better start looking at moving overseas,..cause we're moving with increased inertia towards becoming a third world nation.
Hey, I know, let's all buy American SUV's so that we can stimulate our economy. NOT!
All the Best,
Posted by: FBerry | Jun 12, 2008 12:26:02 PM
What about the batteries on the hybrid cars,do they still go out in about 5 years and have to be replaced for about $5000 or more?
That makes the car a very bad buy in the long run.
Maybe the car makers have resolved the problem by now.
Posted by: marie | Jun 21, 2008 11:22:51 AM
3% for crysakes. That's northing. If it’s 3 times nothing it’s still nothing.
Apparently all the hysteria is from the fringe.
"Sales of the Accord Hybrid dropped to 25 units, .. " (It was killed by GM. Just kidding).
"Nissan sold 801 units of the Altima hybrid in its limited distribution, for 3.5% of all Altima sales."
801 units - that's nothing.
I am more than a little suspicious that no one wanted Accord or Altima hybrids, but they all say they WOULD have bought the ESCAPE, but it’s not available.
Posted by: ToppaTom | Jun 29, 2008 10:00:48 AM
Diesel electric can be the low cost solution in the end. Small high mileage diesels will supply 60+ mpg and can act as generator power for on board recharging. Imagine the euro ford focus diesel,honda accord diesel, oe BMW 130d with the prius's tech...150 mpg+ ??? Diesel fuel's price has been inflated due to the production of ethanol for use in gasoline. Ethanol is corrosive and is not sent via a pipeline system making transport expensive. This counytry needs to allow euro diesel's in for purchase and get rid of the expensive E85 and its 20% mpg penalty.
Posted by: absolute truth | Sep 21, 2008 11:40:01 AM
