Past Five Years of Hybrid Cars

We have witnessed a lot of fuss in the hybrid car market over the past five years. There are many manufactures today that are having so much success in the hybrid car market, but the one that stands out in front of them all is of course, Toyota with their successful Prius models. The Prius was the first major hybrid car in United States and is still holding top position in hybrid sales. Now there are many other manufactures that have hybrid models as well like Nissan, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and Lexus, however the Prius is still standing as number one on the hybrid car market.

Five years ago, the Toyota Prius was the leading hybrid on the market, but close behind was the also popular Honda Civic Hybrid. However, outside these two big auto manufacturers it was hard to find another good hybrid model in a similar price range (and hybrid cars were not cheap back then). One of the main concerns that most people have when they are buying a hybrid is the financial benefit of the hybrid over a five year period. Now for most of us the main idea behind the hybrid car is the Environmental Benefit, but the financial benefit is also some thing that most people include on the pros and cons list when it comes to deciding to buy a hybrid car.

As the cost of gasoline continues to grow, more and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of hybrid cars. In 2008 there were not any crucial changes in the hybrid car market. Considering the fact that some hybrid models were too expensive, many experts suggested buying a used car that is two or three years old. These hybrid cars had the same preferences in fuel efficiency and mille coverage, but they were a lot cheaper. So although there were environmental advantages to driving a hybrid, the financial ones were not as beneficial.

In 2009 there was a slight change in the hybrid market and other companies showed that there were also able to compete and take a piece of the market from Toyota Prius. None were able to overthrow the Prius but they have managed to produce many decent models that provided better performance in some aspects. The Prius was still the most fuel efficient car on the market but the price was almost $9,000 more than the Ford Escape Hybrid (which had a starting price of around $20,500).

The 2010 hybrid car market was marked with many lower priced hybrid cars. Now with more affordable prices,  more people were able to afford hybrid car so the auto market saw more hybrid models introduced and better performances. Then came the innovation from Toyota was the new plug-in Prius which only needed three hours to be fully charged.

Last year, like in 2010 we have seen the overall growth of the hybrid market. As the bestselling car in past years the Toyota Prius has introduced two new versions, a Prius Hatchback and a Prius Wagon where those who need more space enjoyed in more comfort. Besides this one the market was overwhelmed with new models that had more efficiency. Among many we can say that Honda, Ford and Lexus also made some impression on the hybrid car market.

So as you can see, over the past five years the one car that still dominates the hybrid market is the Toyota Prius. The price range is much lower then previous years while still setting standards for fuel efficiency. A lot of improvement in the hybrid technology in past five years and yet the best years for hybrid cars are still to come as we the prices of gas continue to increase and manufacturers continue to experiment with alternative energy sources.