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12-21-2006, 10:19 PM
It was a fad for a while, but it's hard for Californians to give up the power in their cars. (http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=35217&format=html)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2006_Honda_Accord_Sedan.jpgReina V. Slutske - Signal Business - Dec. 21, 2006
Honda Accord Hybrid may be the worst case:
2005 Honda Accord Hybrid total sales - 16,826
2006 Honda Accord Hybrid sales through November - 5,235
Passing through the Santa Clarita Valley, one cannot help but to notice the amount of hybrids on the road.
In the summer, hybrids experienced a surge in sales. With gas prices hitting $3 a gallon nationwide and a federal tax credit to take advantage of, cost-conscious motorists were lining up to buy hybrids from their local dealerships.
However, as gas prices have fallen and federal tax credits have diminished, sales have been dropping on the once must-have vehicles.
Electric-gasoline hybrid sales have dropped 31 percent nationally from August to November, according to Edmunds.com, a car buying Web site.
Frank Chopra, a manager at Frontier Toyota, said that hybrid sales are still OK, but they are not as brisk as they were previously.
He said that the biggest sellers for the dealer are their Camry and sport utility vehicles, which include the 4Runner and the Highlander, which is also available as a hybrid.
He said that he doesn't feel that there is a correlation between gas prices and sales of their hybrids.
"I think people buying hybrids are more environmental protectors," he said. "It might not have to do a whole lot with gas prices."
Joe Caso, owner of Frontier Toyota, did not return calls from The Signal both Tuesday and Wednesday.
As hybrid sales decrease, sales on SUVs have risen, even among consumers who drive hybrids.
According to an analysis conducted for Newsweek Magazine by auto researcher GfK Automotive, 24.2 percent of hybrid owners also have SUVs in their garages.
Don Fleming, owner of Valencia Acura, said that his lot has two new Acura SUVs, and they both have been selling very well.
He said that the tax credit given by the federal government, which was up to more than $3,000, could have pushed some people to consider buying a hybrid car rather than one powered only by gasoline.
Now that the maximum tax credit has been reduced to slightly more than $1,500, it may be discouraging drivers from buying hybrids and instead steering them toward performance.
"It was a fad for a while, but it's hard for Californians to give up the power in their cars," he said of hybrids versus SUVs.
Although he said that the hybrid was a fad, Fleming added, "I think they'll be around for a long time, but I don't think they'll see the sales that they had earlier on."
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2006_Honda_Accord_Sedan.jpgReina V. Slutske - Signal Business - Dec. 21, 2006
Honda Accord Hybrid may be the worst case:
2005 Honda Accord Hybrid total sales - 16,826
2006 Honda Accord Hybrid sales through November - 5,235
Passing through the Santa Clarita Valley, one cannot help but to notice the amount of hybrids on the road.
In the summer, hybrids experienced a surge in sales. With gas prices hitting $3 a gallon nationwide and a federal tax credit to take advantage of, cost-conscious motorists were lining up to buy hybrids from their local dealerships.
However, as gas prices have fallen and federal tax credits have diminished, sales have been dropping on the once must-have vehicles.
Electric-gasoline hybrid sales have dropped 31 percent nationally from August to November, according to Edmunds.com, a car buying Web site.
Frank Chopra, a manager at Frontier Toyota, said that hybrid sales are still OK, but they are not as brisk as they were previously.
He said that the biggest sellers for the dealer are their Camry and sport utility vehicles, which include the 4Runner and the Highlander, which is also available as a hybrid.
He said that he doesn't feel that there is a correlation between gas prices and sales of their hybrids.
"I think people buying hybrids are more environmental protectors," he said. "It might not have to do a whole lot with gas prices."
Joe Caso, owner of Frontier Toyota, did not return calls from The Signal both Tuesday and Wednesday.
As hybrid sales decrease, sales on SUVs have risen, even among consumers who drive hybrids.
According to an analysis conducted for Newsweek Magazine by auto researcher GfK Automotive, 24.2 percent of hybrid owners also have SUVs in their garages.
Don Fleming, owner of Valencia Acura, said that his lot has two new Acura SUVs, and they both have been selling very well.
He said that the tax credit given by the federal government, which was up to more than $3,000, could have pushed some people to consider buying a hybrid car rather than one powered only by gasoline.
Now that the maximum tax credit has been reduced to slightly more than $1,500, it may be discouraging drivers from buying hybrids and instead steering them toward performance.
"It was a fad for a while, but it's hard for Californians to give up the power in their cars," he said of hybrids versus SUVs.
Although he said that the hybrid was a fad, Fleming added, "I think they'll be around for a long time, but I don't think they'll see the sales that they had earlier on."