Despite the fact that hybrid and electric vehicles accounted for less than 3 percent of cars sold in 2011, they dominated this week’s Detroit Auto Showfor the second year in a row.While several hybrid/electric vehicles revealed at the show were concept cars—for example, the hybrid Lexus LFLC sports coupe and the iconic Acura NSX hybrid supercar—many
pre-production vehicles were also on display. Ford introduced a plug-in hybrid version of its top selling Fusion family sedan, which will be sold alongside a traditional hybrid variant. By 2020, Ford executives say plug-ins and hybrids will account for 10 to 25 percent of vehicle purchases. On Monday, Volkswagen introduced a hybrid version of its Passat, also a midsize sedan. Toyota unveiled the Prius C, a cheaper version of the original Prius (starting at $19,000), that will achieve an estimated 53 miles per gallon. Jim Lentz, president and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota USA, said it will have the “highest city fuel efficiency of any [production] car in the U.S. without a plug.” Mercedes introduced two hybrid versions for its E-class sedan, though only one will come to the U.S. The list goes on.
However, the ongoing excitement and buzz surrounding these vehicles has not translated into greater market share. The percent of hybrids sold in the U.S. actually dropped slightly last year, from 2.4 to 2.2 percent. The good news is that sales were up (the market as a whole grew by over 10 percent compared to 2010), but not in proportion to non-hybrid vehicles. Sales of all-electric vehicles and advanced plug-ins, such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, also came in below expectations. Though Nissan was only a few hundred models short of meeting its 10,000-unit goal, the Volt missed the same target by well over 2,000 units. The sales figures may look bad now, but as a Washington Post article pointed out, so did sales of hybrids when they first came out in 2000.
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