US Sales of Hybrids Drop in September
04 October 2006
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Sales of hybrids in the US in September dipped from the prior month, with a total of 23,301 units sold. That represents an increase of 21.5% from September 2005 but a decrease of 11% from August 2006. In September, hybrids represented 1.72% of the total light-duty vehicle market.
By contrast, total light-duty vehicle sales in September in the US decreased 1.9% from the year before. Sales of light trucks increased 5.4%, while sales of passenger cars dropped 1.9% year-on-year.
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| Click to enlarge. |
Toyota sold 10,492 Priuses in September, an increase of 28% from September 2005, and a decrease of 6% from August 2006. Sales of the Camry Hybrid dipped in September to 4,044 units, down 19% from the month before. Together, those two models represented 62.4% of the all hybrids sold in September 2006—up .9 percentage points from August. The Camry Hybrid represented 10.6% of total Camry brand sales, down from the 11.8% share in August.
The Highlander Hybrid posted 2,347 units, a drop of 14% from September 2005 and a 9% drop from August 2006. The Highlander Hybrid represented 20.1% of total Highlander sales, a drop of 1.1 percentage points from August. The Rx 400h posted 1,687 units, a drop of 20% from September 2005, but an increase of 11% compared to August 2006. The Rx 400h represented 19.4% of combined Rx 400h/Rx 350 sales, an increase of four percentage points.
The luxury GS 450h sedan posted 164 units, representing 74.2% of combined GS 450h/GS 430 sales and 6% of all GS model sales.
The Ford Escape and Mariner hybrid posted 1,651 units, a drop of 9% from September 2005 and a decrease of 8% from August 2006. The Ford hybrids represented 13% of total Escape and Mariner sales, an increase of .4 percentage points form August 2006.
Honda sold 2,508 units of the Civic Hybrid, up 31% from September 2005, but down 26% from August 2006. The hybrid sales in September 2006 represented 9.5% of all Civic models sold, a decrease of 1.3 percentage points from August 2006.
Accord Hybrid sales were down 83% to 389 units in September 2006 compared to the year before, and down 22% relative to August 2006. Hybrids represented 1.7% of all Accord models sold in September, an increase of .3 percentage points compared to August. The Insight, phasing out, posted 19 units.
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| Hybrid car sales. | Hybrid SUV sales. |
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| Hybrid sales as a component of total model sales. | Hybrids as percentage of total light-duty vehicle sales. |
What's a relief! The fuel shortage is over.
Posted by: Dursun | 04 October 2006 at 01:23 PM
NOT!
Posted by: allen Z | 04 October 2006 at 01:48 PM
I like the proportion of the hybrid SUVs...too bad if diesel gets a foothold in the next 2-3 years it isn't likely to take a piece of the pie from gasoline but it is more likely to bite into the hybrid drive's share of the market. Then again, "crossover" SUVs should be hybrid and "truck-based" SUVs would probably be best diesel anyway considering the type of service each is likely to see.
Posted by: Patrick | 04 October 2006 at 01:57 PM
And beginning this month the US govt. is lowering the eligible tax credit for hybrid purchases from market leader Toyota ...arggh
Posted by: fyi CO2 | 04 October 2006 at 01:57 PM
Isn't September right before the new models get displayed? You know, the start of the new model year? Auto sales do slack off around that time so perhaps they'll pick up again once the newer model hybrids hit the showrooms.
Posted by: Mark R. W. Jr. | 04 October 2006 at 03:25 PM
The important graph is the one showing hybrids as a percentage of total light-duty vehicle sales. Hybrid marketshare dropped in September, albeit by a very small amount, but it did in fact drop. You can't really blame that on new vehicle introductions since pretty much all the mainstay hybrids continue to soldier on unchanged anyway.
Posted by: Sid Hoffman | 04 October 2006 at 03:53 PM
You also have to consider the trends though. This matches last years sales trend quite well (drop in September).
Posted by: Patrick | 04 October 2006 at 04:11 PM
It will be interesting to see the October numbers as Toyota's will have half the tax credit then. Will they finally start to be discounted then?
We will also start to see the Saturn Vue on the charts?
Posted by: hampden wireless | 04 October 2006 at 06:43 PM
note that the US version of the prius now includes a "touring edition" with larger wheels and a tuned suspension for some extra dough...wonder if this will attract any more drivers. also the prius is apparently the gamepiece in the new monopoly game, so that's some more advertising for our favorite toyota, lol.
Posted by: lensovet | 04 October 2006 at 07:31 PM
Saturn VUE Green Line will be on the charts.
Posted by: Mike | 04 October 2006 at 08:37 PM
In one of the other forums it was said: "I knew the general population was short-sighted, but this really blows my mind."
I couldn't agree more.
Open the first graphic on this page, then open the gas price chart in "Light Truck Sales Rebound in September..."
(http://bioage.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/mogas_chart.gif )
Posted by: RPM | 05 October 2006 at 04:01 AM
I'm with Al Gore when he says that addressing global warming is a moral imperative. This increase in truck sales because of a dip in gas prices clearly shows that Americans are not on board with that sentiment. It's all about the money and not even the long term money. Even if you are just selfish and care nothing about oil or the environment, is is really prudent to be buying gas guzzlers just because of short term decreases in gas prices?
Anyway, this response to lower gas prices is not surprise and just shows that the only way to affect continuous change and improvement is to enact a hefty gas tax that rise for many years to come.
Posted by: t | 05 October 2006 at 08:59 AM
How many Vue's sold? I would love to know.
Posted by: John | 05 October 2006 at 09:24 AM
t,
I would leave the government out of it: let the free market decide. As we have seen this summer, the free market can be a pretty effective motivator. I know it is frustrating to watch gas prices go down and people returning to high gasoline consumption. Eventually it will turn around again, oil production capacity is too close to demand for a long term slide.
So keep those lying low-lifes out of it, and have some patience.
Posted by: An Engineer | 05 October 2006 at 10:16 AM
Megadittoes, AE! I couldn't have said it better. Let's leave it up to The Market, since it is all-wise and knowing. Government is evil and business is looking out for our best interests -- especially our good friends in the Middle East.
Patience and faith are all that is required.
Thank you for bringing sanity and fresh thinking to this site.
Posted by: Engineering First | 05 October 2006 at 10:57 AM
What good is a free market on a fried planet?
Posted by: t | 05 October 2006 at 12:13 PM
What about the GM hybrid pickups?
Posted by: rj | 05 October 2006 at 12:35 PM
free market systems, obviously, do not work – just look at how efficient cars would have been if it wasn't for CAFE (and how inefficient they still are despite it). regulation is the only way to force any sort of improvement. i'd think this would be pretty obvious by now.
which is why i don't get people who support the trading of emissions credits. it's the same thing. quit trying to tie it all back to capitalism, because capitalism sucks.
Posted by: lensovet | 05 October 2006 at 06:54 PM
The market system can be a dull, blunt and lagging monitary only mechanism. It is an after the fact control loop feedback. Most people have been indoctrinated with the fundmentals of microeconomic supply/demand mantras. But it is only one of many factors that make for a better managed economy.
Posted by: SJC | 09 October 2006 at 08:01 PM
"let the free market decide"
what company do you work for? no company I worked for wanted a "free market"
try actually reading Adam Smith, you might learn something.
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Posted by: Jerry John | 18 February 2013 at 02:12 AM