Feb. 07 hybrid and fuel efficient non-hybrid sales - Up, Up and Away

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Performance hybrid’s underperforming as expected.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG.com - Mar. 4, 2007

2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid “Special Edition” includes unique 16-inch alloy wheels, graphite finish, exterior "50th Anniversary Edition" badging, brushed stainless dash appliqué and illuminated front door sills. Given the recent addition of Toyota’s hybrid drivetrain to the Camry, will it prove to be yet another future Toyota Hybrid sales success?

With February automobile sales data available, hybrids are making inroads. The Toyota Prius posted all-time best-ever sales of 12,227 for the month of February, an increase of 87 percent over February 2006. The Toyota Camry Hybrid and Highlander hybrid reported sales of 3,332 and 1,892 units respectively. The Honda Civic Hybrid had an 8.1% increase in sales for the month of Feb. 2007 vs. the same month of 2006 at 1,924. The Lexus RX 400h hybrid reported sales of 1,249 units for the month. ‘s Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid had a combined sales in February of 1,696, a 26.5% increase over the same period of 2006.

For the first time, we are reporting on Non-hybrid sales for automobiles w/ an EPA rating of 40 or above city or highway. This includes the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Toyota Yaris. The Corolla had an increase of 12.9% during the February 07 period compared to February 06. The Civic had a loss of 18.9% with the Yaris not having been released until March of 06.

February 2007 Hybrid Sales Summary:

		Month to Date			Year to Date
Make and Model	Feb. 2007	Feb. 2006	DSR* % Change	Feb. 2007	Feb. 2006	DSR* % Change
Toyota Prius	12,227	6,547	+86.8	20,526	14,201	+41.6
Toyota Camry Hybrid	3,332	NA	NA	6,133	NA	NA
Honda Civic Hybrid	1,924	1,780	+8.1%	3,707	4,945	-26.6%
Toyota Highlander Hybrid	1,892	2,631	-28.1%	3,702	4,894	-25.9%
Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid	1,696	1,341	+26.5%	2,934	2,239	+28.4%
Lexus RX400h	1,249	1,803	-30.7%	2,494	3,280	-25.5%
Honda Accord Hybrid	312	783	-60.2%	560	334	+64.2%

February 2007 Non-hybrid Sales Summary:

		Month to Date			Year to Date
Make and Model	Feb. 2007	Feb. 2006	DSR* % Change	Feb. 2007	Feb. 2006	DSR* % Change
Toyota Corolla	28,321	25,088	12.9	53,840	49,975	5.5
Honda Civic	20,041	24,722	-18.9	38,419	49,510	-24.0
Toyota Yaris	5,702	NA	NA	11,509	NA	NA

DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 24 selling days this sales month and last February and 49 selling day for the year vs. 48 through February of 2006.
NA: Not Applicable.

It was clear from the beginning that performance hybrid’s including the V6 equipped Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Lexus RX 400h and Honda Accord Hybrid are not in the best interest of either the consumer or the manufacturer(s). Sales of performance hybrids to date may be considered dismal at best.