xcel
04-10-2007, 12:32 PM
"There is not a very good argument for a second car not being fuel efficient so we will continue to buy hybrids indefinitely." (http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070410/SPJ0101/704100647)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2004_Toyota_Prius_II.jpgCarrie Hutton - Stevens Point Journal - April 10, 2007
With both gasoline prices and Toyota incentives rising, Prius sales were up 133% compared to this time last year.
Sales of hybrid vehicles tie in closely with prices at the pump, which are up 22 cents in Wisconsin compared to a month ago.
Time will tell if we will surpass the record high gas prices of last August, when unleaded regular gasoline was $3.17 a gallon here, but drivers already are paying nearly 10 cents more per gallon than last year at this time.
There is a close positive correlation between interest in hybrids and rising fuel prices, said salesman Cade Covi of Mark Motors in Plover.
"(Hybrid) sales have increased quite a bit since the price of gas went back up," Covi said.
He described sales of the most popular hybrid, the Toyota Prius, as steady.
The Prius and the Camry Hybrid represent about 62 percent of the total hybrid market, according to the Green Car Congress.
Ned Grossnickle, 57, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County, was so pleased with his first hybrid car, a 2001 Honda Insight, he bought a 2006 Prius 15 months ago that had a little more storage room.
Although many drivers might not think the gas savings is worth the sticker price, Grossnickle said hybrids keep their value better than other cars, and he hasn't yet had to pay for an auto repair.
"There is not a very good argument for a second car not being fuel efficient," Grossnickle said. "We will continue to buy hybrids indefinitely."
Grossnickle said he is interested primarily in the models that can perform at least 50 miles per gallon or better. There are some hybrids that don't differ in efficiency as dramatically from their comparable gas-fueled models. Smith Brothers Ford in Mosinee hasn't sold a Ford Escape hybrid in almost two years, so the dealership doesn't stock them on the lot because of lower interest, said salesman Gary Lemmer. Depending on the model and package, a new hybrid vehicle can be priced in the lower $20,000s to mid $50,000s.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2004_Toyota_Prius_II.jpgCarrie Hutton - Stevens Point Journal - April 10, 2007
With both gasoline prices and Toyota incentives rising, Prius sales were up 133% compared to this time last year.
Sales of hybrid vehicles tie in closely with prices at the pump, which are up 22 cents in Wisconsin compared to a month ago.
Time will tell if we will surpass the record high gas prices of last August, when unleaded regular gasoline was $3.17 a gallon here, but drivers already are paying nearly 10 cents more per gallon than last year at this time.
There is a close positive correlation between interest in hybrids and rising fuel prices, said salesman Cade Covi of Mark Motors in Plover.
"(Hybrid) sales have increased quite a bit since the price of gas went back up," Covi said.
He described sales of the most popular hybrid, the Toyota Prius, as steady.
The Prius and the Camry Hybrid represent about 62 percent of the total hybrid market, according to the Green Car Congress.
Ned Grossnickle, 57, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County, was so pleased with his first hybrid car, a 2001 Honda Insight, he bought a 2006 Prius 15 months ago that had a little more storage room.
Although many drivers might not think the gas savings is worth the sticker price, Grossnickle said hybrids keep their value better than other cars, and he hasn't yet had to pay for an auto repair.
"There is not a very good argument for a second car not being fuel efficient," Grossnickle said. "We will continue to buy hybrids indefinitely."
Grossnickle said he is interested primarily in the models that can perform at least 50 miles per gallon or better. There are some hybrids that don't differ in efficiency as dramatically from their comparable gas-fueled models. Smith Brothers Ford in Mosinee hasn't sold a Ford Escape hybrid in almost two years, so the dealership doesn't stock them on the lot because of lower interest, said salesman Gary Lemmer. Depending on the model and package, a new hybrid vehicle can be priced in the lower $20,000s to mid $50,000s.