xcel
07-07-2006, 10:45 PM
"They're really hot. We sell every one that we get." (http://www.nydailynews.com/business/story/433030p-364874c.html)
Nancy Dillon - New York Daily News - July 7, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Lexus_RXh1.jpg
Centolanzi’s Lexus RXh gets about 24 mpg compared to 14 mpg his friends get with their non-hybrid RX.
Looking to buy a hybrid car? Get in line.
Dizzying gas prices have revved up hybrid sales - bringing back the waiting lists for them in the city.
"If you get lucky, you can drive off with a hybrid. But right now we don't have any in stock," said Robert McIlwain of Bay Ridge Toyota in Brooklyn. "They're really hot. We sell every one that we get."
A poll of city dealers found that the attraction to the self-charging gas/electric vehicles has jumped more than 30% since April, when the average price of regular gas topped the $3-per-gallon mark.
"About two months ago there were Prius models that sat at the dealership," said Will Howard, a sales manager at Toyota of Manhattan. "But this month we're out of cars. Demand is outstripping supply. Now it's about a four-week wait."
Howard said he sold seven hybrid cars last month, including the new Toyota Highlander SUV hybrid, which starts at around $33,000.
"Every last one of my customers mentioned gas prices as a factor," he said.
And at Bay Ridge Toyota in Brooklyn, general sales manager Chris Mignano said his parents had to wait four months to get a Prius.
"We get 10 Prius hybrids a month - and they're sold before they get here, sold before they're even built," said Mignano.
Manufacturers say they're doing their best to keep up with demand and vow that dealers won't have to return to the five-month wait lists of years past.
"It's a clear choice. The average New York City driver can save more than $1,000 a year on gas with a hybrid," said Jack Hidary, chairman of the Coalition Advocating Smart Transportation.
Of course, the sticker-price premium for hybrid technology is about $3,000 to $5,000. But buyers are eligible for a federal tax credit up to $3,400, Hidary said, and then they save at the pump.
Owners of qualified Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid models also can join the state's Clean Pass test program and drive alone in HOV lanes on the Long Island Expressway.
Michelle Schimel of Great Neck, L.I., just picked up her first hybrid - a souped-up Prius with leather seats and navigation - two weeks ago.
"I'm looking to save about $75 a month on gas," Schimel said, adding that she also chose the car for environmental reasons.
"It feels very cutting edge. A little like a spaceship, but very comfortable," she said.
Experts say hybrids are best suited for stop-and-go city driving since the zero-emissions electric engine shines at lower, nonhighway speeds.
"Our car loves to be in traffic. We were going to work the other day, snaking up a hill on the Van Wyck, and it was in electric mode the whole time," said Patrick Centolanzi, 53, an environmental consultant from Kew Gardens, Queens.
Centolanzi said his Lexus RX hybrid gets about 24 miles per gallon compared with the 14 miles per gallon friends say they get with nonhybrid Lexus RX models.
Though hybrid sales more than doubled in 2005, they still make up only about 1% of overall vehicles sales nationwide, with manufacturers selling about 200,000 in the U.S. last year.
"I love this little car. I get about 45 miles per gallon," said longtime Prius owner Salvatore (Buddy) Scotto, 77, proprietor of the Scotto Funeral Home in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.
"It's easy to park in the city," he noted, "and you better believe it has power. I got a speeding ticket doing 85 miles per hour on the Belt Parkway!"
Nancy Dillon - New York Daily News - July 7, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Lexus_RXh1.jpg
Centolanzi’s Lexus RXh gets about 24 mpg compared to 14 mpg his friends get with their non-hybrid RX.
Looking to buy a hybrid car? Get in line.
Dizzying gas prices have revved up hybrid sales - bringing back the waiting lists for them in the city.
"If you get lucky, you can drive off with a hybrid. But right now we don't have any in stock," said Robert McIlwain of Bay Ridge Toyota in Brooklyn. "They're really hot. We sell every one that we get."
A poll of city dealers found that the attraction to the self-charging gas/electric vehicles has jumped more than 30% since April, when the average price of regular gas topped the $3-per-gallon mark.
"About two months ago there were Prius models that sat at the dealership," said Will Howard, a sales manager at Toyota of Manhattan. "But this month we're out of cars. Demand is outstripping supply. Now it's about a four-week wait."
Howard said he sold seven hybrid cars last month, including the new Toyota Highlander SUV hybrid, which starts at around $33,000.
"Every last one of my customers mentioned gas prices as a factor," he said.
And at Bay Ridge Toyota in Brooklyn, general sales manager Chris Mignano said his parents had to wait four months to get a Prius.
"We get 10 Prius hybrids a month - and they're sold before they get here, sold before they're even built," said Mignano.
Manufacturers say they're doing their best to keep up with demand and vow that dealers won't have to return to the five-month wait lists of years past.
"It's a clear choice. The average New York City driver can save more than $1,000 a year on gas with a hybrid," said Jack Hidary, chairman of the Coalition Advocating Smart Transportation.
Of course, the sticker-price premium for hybrid technology is about $3,000 to $5,000. But buyers are eligible for a federal tax credit up to $3,400, Hidary said, and then they save at the pump.
Owners of qualified Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid models also can join the state's Clean Pass test program and drive alone in HOV lanes on the Long Island Expressway.
Michelle Schimel of Great Neck, L.I., just picked up her first hybrid - a souped-up Prius with leather seats and navigation - two weeks ago.
"I'm looking to save about $75 a month on gas," Schimel said, adding that she also chose the car for environmental reasons.
"It feels very cutting edge. A little like a spaceship, but very comfortable," she said.
Experts say hybrids are best suited for stop-and-go city driving since the zero-emissions electric engine shines at lower, nonhighway speeds.
"Our car loves to be in traffic. We were going to work the other day, snaking up a hill on the Van Wyck, and it was in electric mode the whole time," said Patrick Centolanzi, 53, an environmental consultant from Kew Gardens, Queens.
Centolanzi said his Lexus RX hybrid gets about 24 miles per gallon compared with the 14 miles per gallon friends say they get with nonhybrid Lexus RX models.
Though hybrid sales more than doubled in 2005, they still make up only about 1% of overall vehicles sales nationwide, with manufacturers selling about 200,000 in the U.S. last year.
"I love this little car. I get about 45 miles per gallon," said longtime Prius owner Salvatore (Buddy) Scotto, 77, proprietor of the Scotto Funeral Home in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.
"It's easy to park in the city," he noted, "and you better believe it has power. I got a speeding ticket doing 85 miles per hour on the Belt Parkway!"