xcel
04-08-2007, 06:52 PM
The fuel-efficient cars that were approved for California diamond-lane use, without "high occupancy," have an extra measure of value. (http://www.dailybreeze.com/business/articles/6922792.html)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/California_Hybrid_HOV_Lane_Sticker.jpgJustina Ly - Daily Breeze - April 8, 2007
While sales of hybrid vehicles increased in March, those new car owners and future ones will no longer be eligible for carpool-lane stickers.
The Department of Motor Vehicles ended its HOV permit for hybrid vehicles after it mailed out the 85,000th sticker, on Feb. 16. Those 85,000 hybrids now become an elite class among hybrid vehicles, since the stickers boost the values of the cars in commute-crazy Southern California.
The carpool-lane stickers gave hybrid drivers access to high occupancy vehicle lanes and cut their commute times.
The state first passed legislation in 2005 that allowed 75,000 carpool-lane permits to be issued to hybrids, which qualified with low emissions and high gas mileage. The Toyota Prius, Honda Civic and Insight are the only hybrids that meet these standards.
Lawmakers increased the number to 85,000 stickers last year after the initial number of permits was reached.
The DMV is no longer issuing stickers, but still receives requests for them. "We're still receiving applications from people who haven't heard the news," spokesman Armando Botello said.
The department has returned more than 3,300 applications and checks to drivers, but is still receiving about 50 of them a day, he said.
The permits, which expire in 2011, stay with the hybrids even when they are sold, which can make them more appealing to buyers.
Sales of the Toyota Prius increased for the second consecutive month in March with an all-time high of more than 19,000 Prius’ sold. Honda maintained steady sales with more than 2,000 Civic Hybrids sold.
But despite these figures, one local dealer said business has been slowed somewhat by the suspension of the carpool-sticker program.
"Hybrid sales aren't nearly as brisk as they were before those stickers stopped being issue," said Eric Bolstad, a general manager at a Honda dealership in Torrance.
Whether a decline in hybrid sales will occur depends mostly on the demand for the vehicles.
"There's been a lot of talk nationally that hybrid sales are falling off," Gordon Wangers, an automotive marketing analyst, said. "In California it's quite possible because traffic is so insane that spending a couple extra thousand dollars to save precious minutes each day is worth it to a number of people," he said.
This makes used hybrid vehicles with the HOV stickers more appealing to consumers, who are willing to pay more to gain access to the carpool lane, Bolstad said.
Potential hybrid sellers are also aware that their carpool-lane stickers add value to their cars.
"Sellers know they have a premium vehicle to trade in and expect that value," said David Ortiz, the vice president and general manager at a Toyota dealership in Gardena.
However, most hybrid drivers on the road now aren't interested in trading-in or selling their cars, so some dealers, such as Bolstad, get their pre-owned hybrid vehicles by trading with other dealerships.
"That's really the only way we're getting them now. Most people with hybrids that have stickers are keeping them," he said.
Jed Fuhrman, a professor of marine biology at USC, said he bought his Toyota Prius because he wanted to have the "lightest impact on the environment," but he appreciates access to the HOV lane.
He makes a 24-mile commute from his home in Topanga to the USC campus in Los Angeles and takes the carpool lane "if I see that it'll be faster," he said.
Annie Ngo, a high school teacher, said she's happy with her Civic Hybrid, which has allowed her to take the carpool lane and cut her commute time in half.
She travels from her home in Corona to La Habra, where she teaches at Sonora High School. "It works out really nicely for me," Ngo said.
She and her husband, Andy, traded in their Honda Pilot last year for a Civic Hybrid.
"It the greatest thing ever. (The Pilot) was almost $90 per tank," she said. The couple now spends a third of that cost to fill up their hybrid.
But the high cost of gas, averaging more than $3 per gallon statewide, has prompted some drivers to stop using it altogether.
Bruno Youri, a former Toyota Prius owner, bought the car because he wanted to pay less for gas.
"I always wanted to get better fuel efficiency and wasn't as concerned about being environmentally friendly, but more about my pocketbook," Youri said.
But Youri became equally concerned about his petroleum use. Last summer he sold the Prius and replaced it with a 1983 Mercedes-Benz turbo diesel vehicle that runs on vegetable oil.
Youri collects the oil from local restaurants and filters it before filling his car's gas tank.
But he hasn't abandoned hybrid cars for good. When he takes long road trips, Youri rents from EV Rental Cars, a company that exclusively uses the Toyota Prius, Toyota Highlander SUV Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid.
The company's Prius and Civic Hybrids, all of which have the carpool-lane stickers, are also the most frequently rented vehicles.
The company also sells its used hybrids wholesale and the ones with HOV stickers are "worth much more money," said Jeffrey Pink, the CEO.
But whether new or used, interested buyers are finding an alternative way to sample hybrids by renting his company's cars for weeklong test drives, he said.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/California_Hybrid_HOV_Lane_Sticker.jpgJustina Ly - Daily Breeze - April 8, 2007
While sales of hybrid vehicles increased in March, those new car owners and future ones will no longer be eligible for carpool-lane stickers.
The Department of Motor Vehicles ended its HOV permit for hybrid vehicles after it mailed out the 85,000th sticker, on Feb. 16. Those 85,000 hybrids now become an elite class among hybrid vehicles, since the stickers boost the values of the cars in commute-crazy Southern California.
The carpool-lane stickers gave hybrid drivers access to high occupancy vehicle lanes and cut their commute times.
The state first passed legislation in 2005 that allowed 75,000 carpool-lane permits to be issued to hybrids, which qualified with low emissions and high gas mileage. The Toyota Prius, Honda Civic and Insight are the only hybrids that meet these standards.
Lawmakers increased the number to 85,000 stickers last year after the initial number of permits was reached.
The DMV is no longer issuing stickers, but still receives requests for them. "We're still receiving applications from people who haven't heard the news," spokesman Armando Botello said.
The department has returned more than 3,300 applications and checks to drivers, but is still receiving about 50 of them a day, he said.
The permits, which expire in 2011, stay with the hybrids even when they are sold, which can make them more appealing to buyers.
Sales of the Toyota Prius increased for the second consecutive month in March with an all-time high of more than 19,000 Prius’ sold. Honda maintained steady sales with more than 2,000 Civic Hybrids sold.
But despite these figures, one local dealer said business has been slowed somewhat by the suspension of the carpool-sticker program.
"Hybrid sales aren't nearly as brisk as they were before those stickers stopped being issue," said Eric Bolstad, a general manager at a Honda dealership in Torrance.
Whether a decline in hybrid sales will occur depends mostly on the demand for the vehicles.
"There's been a lot of talk nationally that hybrid sales are falling off," Gordon Wangers, an automotive marketing analyst, said. "In California it's quite possible because traffic is so insane that spending a couple extra thousand dollars to save precious minutes each day is worth it to a number of people," he said.
This makes used hybrid vehicles with the HOV stickers more appealing to consumers, who are willing to pay more to gain access to the carpool lane, Bolstad said.
Potential hybrid sellers are also aware that their carpool-lane stickers add value to their cars.
"Sellers know they have a premium vehicle to trade in and expect that value," said David Ortiz, the vice president and general manager at a Toyota dealership in Gardena.
However, most hybrid drivers on the road now aren't interested in trading-in or selling their cars, so some dealers, such as Bolstad, get their pre-owned hybrid vehicles by trading with other dealerships.
"That's really the only way we're getting them now. Most people with hybrids that have stickers are keeping them," he said.
Jed Fuhrman, a professor of marine biology at USC, said he bought his Toyota Prius because he wanted to have the "lightest impact on the environment," but he appreciates access to the HOV lane.
He makes a 24-mile commute from his home in Topanga to the USC campus in Los Angeles and takes the carpool lane "if I see that it'll be faster," he said.
Annie Ngo, a high school teacher, said she's happy with her Civic Hybrid, which has allowed her to take the carpool lane and cut her commute time in half.
She travels from her home in Corona to La Habra, where she teaches at Sonora High School. "It works out really nicely for me," Ngo said.
She and her husband, Andy, traded in their Honda Pilot last year for a Civic Hybrid.
"It the greatest thing ever. (The Pilot) was almost $90 per tank," she said. The couple now spends a third of that cost to fill up their hybrid.
But the high cost of gas, averaging more than $3 per gallon statewide, has prompted some drivers to stop using it altogether.
Bruno Youri, a former Toyota Prius owner, bought the car because he wanted to pay less for gas.
"I always wanted to get better fuel efficiency and wasn't as concerned about being environmentally friendly, but more about my pocketbook," Youri said.
But Youri became equally concerned about his petroleum use. Last summer he sold the Prius and replaced it with a 1983 Mercedes-Benz turbo diesel vehicle that runs on vegetable oil.
Youri collects the oil from local restaurants and filters it before filling his car's gas tank.
But he hasn't abandoned hybrid cars for good. When he takes long road trips, Youri rents from EV Rental Cars, a company that exclusively uses the Toyota Prius, Toyota Highlander SUV Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid.
The company's Prius and Civic Hybrids, all of which have the carpool-lane stickers, are also the most frequently rented vehicles.
The company also sells its used hybrids wholesale and the ones with HOV stickers are "worth much more money," said Jeffrey Pink, the CEO.
But whether new or used, interested buyers are finding an alternative way to sample hybrids by renting his company's cars for weeklong test drives, he said.