xcel
04-01-2007, 12:16 PM
Portland boasts more of the gas-savers per household than any other U.S. city, and their numbers grew by 70 percent in Oregon last year. (http://www.oregonlive.com/metro/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/117530072312090.xml&coll=7)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Toyota_Prius_II_-_Touring_Edition.jpg Michael Milstein - The Oregonian - April 1, 2007
2007 Toyota Prius II – Now available in whatever color and options package you want. Oh, and you don’t have to pay sticker anymore.
The hybrid car capital of the nation just got more hybridized.
A few months ago, if you wanted one of the status symbols of green efficiency, you had to put your name on a waiting list and pay sticker price or more.
But today, you can take your pick, even get your color choice and a discount as hybrids rev from an eco-friendly niche market into the mainstream.
Portland already boasts more hybrids per household than any other city in the country. And though the cars cost more than comparable gas-burners, they've become a more competitive choice for the everyday buyer.
That's because manufacturers are churning out more of them and because their fuel-sipping nature looks better and better as gas prices rise toward $3 a gallon.
"The whole market is shifting, and people are looking for solutions," said Bradley Berman, editor of HybridCars.com. "We're living in an Al Gore era, and there's a lot of people who want fuel-efficient cars."
The Toyota Prius, the most popular hybrid by far, is also one of the nation's top cars period, finishing No. 9 on the best-seller list in February.
People are clamoring for hybrids: Seventy-one percent of Americans say they would consider buying a hybrid, up 5 percent from last year, according to a new survey by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy.
More than nine of every 10 people in the national survey said the auto industry should be required to make cars that get better gas mileage.
Although hybrids still make up fewer than 1 percent of all passenger cars in Oregon, their numbers grew about 70 percent in the state last year -- most of them in the Willamette Valley, according to state tax records.
The Portland metro area is the U.S. capital of hybrids, according to HybridCars.com, which tracks hybrid ownership nationwide. Los Angeles, with its vast population, has the most hybrids overall, but Portland has about twice as many per household, based on 2006 registrations.
After Portland, two other Oregon cities are in the top 10 nationwide for the number of hybrids per household: Bend is sixth and Eugene is 10th. Only California has more hybrid-crazy cities than Oregon, with five in the top 10.
Jeff Abbate of Beaverton bought a Toyota Prius in December, only after he was convinced they weren't a fad.
He saw them a few years ago "as more of a science fair project," but now they come with the same creature comforts as other solid, economical sedans, he said.
They also make good financial sense, said Abbate, who works at Intel. "It's not about erasing environmental guilt for me," he said.
He was driving a 1991 Celica that ran fine but was "getting a little long in the tooth." He considered the federal and state tax incentives, counted the number of cars on dealer lots, studied Internet forums and considered the gas he could save with a car that gets about 45 miles per gallon overall.
The sticker price (which Abbate didn't pay) for a well-equipped Prius is $22,175, according to Toyota -- more than a comparable non-hybrid. The fuel-saving benefits "were a little bit of icing on the cake for me," he said.
"I pay a little more, but I'm getting something more for it," he said.
But he was frustrated to learn that because he pays the alternative minimum tax -- a special tax now affecting more families -- he can't receive the federal tax credit for buying his hybrid because the tax restricts people from taking credits and deductions. Even if he had gotten the credit, it has shrunk for Toyotas because Congress set up the credit so it would begin phasing out after manufacturers sell 60,000 of their particular hybrids.
Oregon Tax Credit
Oregon's state tax credit of $1,500 for most hybrid cars remains in place.
Toyota sold nearly twice as many Priuses nationally last month as in February a year ago, and sales shot up the Northwest. "It's really moving into the general population now," said Rick Kociemba, sales manager at Royal Moore Toyota in Hillsboro.
Dealers are willing to part with hybrids for lower prices because they can make up for it by selling more cars -- now that they have the cars to sell.
"People can get the color they want, and they don't have to pay the dealer a premium," said Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong. "They're paying sticker or below. These are mainstream consumers, who are saying, 'You know what, I'm concerned about dependence on foreign oil, I'm concerned about global warming, and gasoline is around $3 a gallon now.' "
Ricky Connelley, leading salesman at Broadway Toyota, said the dealership sold 70 Prius’ last month -- a record. It also was the first time Broadway had 70 of the signature hybrids to sell.
He sums it up simply: "Green state. Green car."
The newest hot eco-car isn't a hybrid at all, but the Honda Fit, a small hatchback that gets good gas mileage (though about 15 mpg less than a hybrid) but costs less upfront. The Fit sticker price ranges from about $14,000 to $16,000 depending on the model and how it's equipped.
It's been available abroad for several years, but this is the first year it's been sold in the United States.
The Fit proves that SUV-loving U.S. car buyers are hungry for small, sporty cars. It's so hot that buyers show up almost as cars roll off the delivery truck to make sure they're the first to drive them, said Josh Jindrich, a sales manager at Gresham Honda.
Its attractions are the affordable price, and, like hybrids, its economical nature.
"We have a lot of people trading in low-gas-mileage vehicles to get a Fit or a hybrid," Jindrich said.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Toyota_Prius_II_-_Touring_Edition.jpg Michael Milstein - The Oregonian - April 1, 2007
2007 Toyota Prius II – Now available in whatever color and options package you want. Oh, and you don’t have to pay sticker anymore.
The hybrid car capital of the nation just got more hybridized.
A few months ago, if you wanted one of the status symbols of green efficiency, you had to put your name on a waiting list and pay sticker price or more.
But today, you can take your pick, even get your color choice and a discount as hybrids rev from an eco-friendly niche market into the mainstream.
Portland already boasts more hybrids per household than any other city in the country. And though the cars cost more than comparable gas-burners, they've become a more competitive choice for the everyday buyer.
That's because manufacturers are churning out more of them and because their fuel-sipping nature looks better and better as gas prices rise toward $3 a gallon.
"The whole market is shifting, and people are looking for solutions," said Bradley Berman, editor of HybridCars.com. "We're living in an Al Gore era, and there's a lot of people who want fuel-efficient cars."
The Toyota Prius, the most popular hybrid by far, is also one of the nation's top cars period, finishing No. 9 on the best-seller list in February.
People are clamoring for hybrids: Seventy-one percent of Americans say they would consider buying a hybrid, up 5 percent from last year, according to a new survey by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy.
More than nine of every 10 people in the national survey said the auto industry should be required to make cars that get better gas mileage.
Although hybrids still make up fewer than 1 percent of all passenger cars in Oregon, their numbers grew about 70 percent in the state last year -- most of them in the Willamette Valley, according to state tax records.
The Portland metro area is the U.S. capital of hybrids, according to HybridCars.com, which tracks hybrid ownership nationwide. Los Angeles, with its vast population, has the most hybrids overall, but Portland has about twice as many per household, based on 2006 registrations.
After Portland, two other Oregon cities are in the top 10 nationwide for the number of hybrids per household: Bend is sixth and Eugene is 10th. Only California has more hybrid-crazy cities than Oregon, with five in the top 10.
Jeff Abbate of Beaverton bought a Toyota Prius in December, only after he was convinced they weren't a fad.
He saw them a few years ago "as more of a science fair project," but now they come with the same creature comforts as other solid, economical sedans, he said.
They also make good financial sense, said Abbate, who works at Intel. "It's not about erasing environmental guilt for me," he said.
He was driving a 1991 Celica that ran fine but was "getting a little long in the tooth." He considered the federal and state tax incentives, counted the number of cars on dealer lots, studied Internet forums and considered the gas he could save with a car that gets about 45 miles per gallon overall.
The sticker price (which Abbate didn't pay) for a well-equipped Prius is $22,175, according to Toyota -- more than a comparable non-hybrid. The fuel-saving benefits "were a little bit of icing on the cake for me," he said.
"I pay a little more, but I'm getting something more for it," he said.
But he was frustrated to learn that because he pays the alternative minimum tax -- a special tax now affecting more families -- he can't receive the federal tax credit for buying his hybrid because the tax restricts people from taking credits and deductions. Even if he had gotten the credit, it has shrunk for Toyotas because Congress set up the credit so it would begin phasing out after manufacturers sell 60,000 of their particular hybrids.
Oregon Tax Credit
Oregon's state tax credit of $1,500 for most hybrid cars remains in place.
Toyota sold nearly twice as many Priuses nationally last month as in February a year ago, and sales shot up the Northwest. "It's really moving into the general population now," said Rick Kociemba, sales manager at Royal Moore Toyota in Hillsboro.
Dealers are willing to part with hybrids for lower prices because they can make up for it by selling more cars -- now that they have the cars to sell.
"People can get the color they want, and they don't have to pay the dealer a premium," said Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong. "They're paying sticker or below. These are mainstream consumers, who are saying, 'You know what, I'm concerned about dependence on foreign oil, I'm concerned about global warming, and gasoline is around $3 a gallon now.' "
Ricky Connelley, leading salesman at Broadway Toyota, said the dealership sold 70 Prius’ last month -- a record. It also was the first time Broadway had 70 of the signature hybrids to sell.
He sums it up simply: "Green state. Green car."
The newest hot eco-car isn't a hybrid at all, but the Honda Fit, a small hatchback that gets good gas mileage (though about 15 mpg less than a hybrid) but costs less upfront. The Fit sticker price ranges from about $14,000 to $16,000 depending on the model and how it's equipped.
It's been available abroad for several years, but this is the first year it's been sold in the United States.
The Fit proves that SUV-loving U.S. car buyers are hungry for small, sporty cars. It's so hot that buyers show up almost as cars roll off the delivery truck to make sure they're the first to drive them, said Josh Jindrich, a sales manager at Gresham Honda.
Its attractions are the affordable price, and, like hybrids, its economical nature.
"We have a lot of people trading in low-gas-mileage vehicles to get a Fit or a hybrid," Jindrich said.