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Stampede occurring for Honda’s Civic Hybrid and the Fit! (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=130955)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/July_HCH-II_sales_accelerate.jpgWayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (www.cleanmpg.com) - August 1, 2008

The 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid.

With its 1.3-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine and a 20 horsepower electric motor produce a combined 110-horsepower @ 6000 rpm and 123 lb-ft. torque @ 1000-2500 rpm. The Civic Hybrid is certified as an Advanced-Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) - the best-possible emissions rating for a hybrid vehicle and is one of only three vehicles to meet the Federal Tier II-Bin2 limit. The other two include Honda’s Civic GX and the Accord PZEV. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) smoothly optimizes transmission ratios for optimal fuel efficiency. 08 EPA rated at 42 mpgUS combined.

A wide array of standard safety features include the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure; side curtain airbags; driver's and front passenger's side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); and dual-stage, dual-threshold driver's and front passenger's airbags (SRS) and Active front seat head restraints. Standard active safety features include an anti-lock brake system (ABS) with brake assist and electronic brake distribution, front seatbelts with automatic-tensioners and load limiters.

With the recently discovered “SAHM "Super Highway Mode" (70-90 MPG) (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14295)” technique, owners of this fuel efficient hybrid are guaranteed even more savings at the pump.

Hybrids

Toyota Hybrids in particular had a second tough month in a row due to a battery supply constraint as reported by Toyota today. The HCH-II however was another story altogether.

With 3 + month waits reported all around the country, the Toyota Prius posted July sales of only 14,785, a fall off of 15% from the July of 2007 reporting period. With the third large monthly sales decline in a row, the Prius’ year over year 08 sales vs. 07 is now down 4.5%. Toyota reported “limited availability” again for those customers who are still waiting in line for their own to be delivered.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid achieved sales of 2,645, down an astounding 43.6% vs. the July 2007 sales period. Year over year sales are still up by just 1.8% compared to the 2007 cumulative sales totals.

The Honda Civic Hybrid is the one real bright spot in the hybrid sales totals. July sales of 3,440 are up a nice 27.4% compared to the July 2007 sales period. The HCH-II sales are up 13.8% year to date.

The HiHy sold 1,371 units, up 5% for the July 2008 vs. July 2007 comparison period. Year over year, the SUV based hybrid is down 7.6%.

The FEH/MMH twins' also had a poor month even with demand far exceeding supply. 1,265 vehicles were sold for the month, down 26% vs. the year ago sales period. For the year, the FEH?MMH sales are off 16.2% year over year.

The Lexus RX 400h hybrid reported sales of 1,439 units for the month, down 4.1% vs. the year ago sales period. For the year, sales are still up by 3.7% vs. 2007.

Overall sales of the Big 6 Hybrid’s not including the FEH/MMH twins above are down for the year by 2.4% and falling even with record oil prices. The current shortages of NiMH batteries we keep hearing rumors about are most certainly not helping matters.

GM hybrid vehicles saw minor sales of 228 Chevrolet Tahoe and 123 GMC Yukon 2-mode SUVs delivered. There were 349 Chevrolet Malibu, 29 Saturn Aura and 362 Vue hybrids sold in July. For the month, a total of 1,091 hybrid vehicles were delivered, with 5,467 hybrids sold so far this year.

Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrids

The Big 5 fuel efficient non-hybrids sales are still accelerating with a year over year increase of 15.1%. As gasoline prices hover just below $4.00 per gallon, the Toyota Corolla sits just below the Civic in total 2008 sales but a nice increase in its July sales show it to be a worthy competitor for the US’ top spot.

The monthly sales leading Toyota Corolla saw 34,438 units arrive in new owners hands, an increase of 7% vs. the year ago sales period. For the year, the Corolla is actually down 1.9% vs. the same YTD 07 sales period.

And right on the Corolla’s heels was the Civic with 29,125 units sold in the month, an decrease of 3.5% vs. the year-ago period. For the year, Civic sales are up 15.4% vs. 2007 sales YTD.

The Honda Fit is continuing its spectacular sales year with July sales of 12,266 vehicles was the single best showing of the entire group with an 78.5% increase over July of 2007 sales. For the year, Fit sales are 71.9% above the 2007 YTD sales period.

The Toyota Yaris subcompact saw 8,620 units sold in July, a decrease of 2.1% vs. the same period a year ago. For the year, Yaris sales are still up some 33.4% vs. the 2007 YTD sales period.

The MINI Cooper also had another good month with monthly sales of 5,063, up 24.4% compared to 4,069 sold during the same period a year ago. For the year, Mini sales are up 32% vs. the 2007 YTD sales period.

Smart Fortwo sales included 2,559 vehicles sold in July.

In Canada, sales of the Toyota Corolla rose 35.9 per cent to 5,574 units in July.

July 2008 Hybrid Sales Summary

||Month to Date|||Year to Date|
Make and Model|July 2008|July 2007|DSR* % Change|July 2008|July 2007|DSR* % Change|
Toyota Prius|14,785|16,062|-15.0%|106,225|110,565|-04.5%
Toyota Camry Hybrid|2,645|4,329|-43.6%|33,177|32,399|+01.8%
Honda Civic Hybrid|3,440|2,493|+27.4%|22,472|19,634|+13.8%
Toyota Highlander Hybrid|1,371|1,205|+05.0%|14,424|15,517|-07.6%
Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid|1,265|1,578|-26.0%|12,687|15,050|-16.2%
Lexus RX400h|1,439|1,385|-04.1%|10,477|10,042|+03.7%

July 2008 Fuel Efficient Non-Hybrid Sales Summary

||Month to Date|||Year to Date|
Make and Model|July 2008|July 2007|DSR* % Change|July 2008|July 2007|DSR* % Change|
Toyota Corolla|34,438|29,719|+07.0%|228,926|231,940|-01.9%
Honda Civic|29,125|27,852|-03.5%|234,086|201,652|+15.4%
Toyota Yaris|8,620|8,126|-02.1%|73,300|54,648|+33.4%
Honda Fit|12,266|6,343|+78.5%|52,053|30,112|+71.9%
Mini Cooper|5,063|4,069|+24.4%|31,463|23,828|+32.0%
Smart Fortwo|2,559|NA|NA|13,958|NA|NA
DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 26 selling days for the July 2008 sales period vs. 24 in 2007. There were 179 sales days 08 YTD vs. 178 days YTD in 2007.

Big 5 Manufacturers Overall

For the Manufacturers monthly comparisons, Chrysler sales were off 29%, Ford, Mercury and Lincoln combined sales were off 14.9%, GM sales were down 26.7%, and Toyota was down 18.7%. Honda is still holding onto a year over year sales increase of 2.2% but its monthly sales were also off 9.2%.

So... is there any chance Toyota would consider building an additional battery manufacturing plant? It seems that would solve a lot of their battery shortage problems.

I'm surprised to see the Camry hybrid sales are down so much. It's not that much more expensive than the Prius but it drives like a real car (ie. it kicks a$$ when you hit the gas).

It's great to see how the sales of the Honda Fit have increased. I've read many favorable reviews of the first generation imported to North America. However, I hope that these recent buyers will not be too disappointed when the second generation Fit, already being produced in Japan, arrives here this fall. As is typical, the new models will have further refinements and features. No doubt the powertrain will be even better and fuel efficient.

If I had one issue with the current model, it was the rather modest highway fuel economy. This is due, in part, to its relatively low gearing, particularly on the 5-speed manual. (The overall top gear ratio for the automatic results in nearly 22% lower rpms than for the manual model). A 6-speed manual with a tall overdrive for the open highway would be a winner in my book.:)

I think the FIT has a lot of aerodynamic drag. It's a fairly tall vehicle. It is incredibly roomy inside however. As with most things mechanical, it's a compromise.

some 3,000 Ford Flexes were sold in July


and 300 VW Sportwagens


both in their 2nd month of release.

Hey I do not see any numbers on the Nissan Altima Hybrid and I bought mine on June 30. :confused: I feel sooo left out. They must have been selling because I had a hard time finding a dealer who didn't sell out of the one I wanted.