May 07 hybrid and fuel efficient non-hybrid sales - breaking records yet again

[xcel]

Toyota Prius, Camry Hybrid and Honda Civic Hybrid are the real winners for the month of May.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - June 1, 2007

The 2007 Honda Civic. Multiple powertrains including a 197-horsepower high performance Si, a 51 mpg gas-sipping hybrid and an all-around 140 HP performer with two body styles, represents one of the most diverse vehicles in the industry. A dedication to providing advanced safety technology truly set the Civic apart from the competition.

The fuel efficient Hybrids and non-hybrids are continuing to increase overall market share as gasoline prices rise to levels never seen before in the US on an inflation adjusted basis.

The Toyota Prius hybrid gas-electric mid-size sedan posted best-ever May sales of 24,009, a massive increase of 184.9 percent over May of 2006. The Toyota Camry Hybrid reported sales of 6,853 yielding a new monthly total sales record, some 117.3 percent above the May 2006 period. The third stand out included the Honda Civic Hybrid with a 50.4 percent increase in sales for the month vs. May 2006. The HiHy sold 3,312 units, down 15.2 percent. The Lexus RX 400h hybrid reported sales of 1,746 units for the month, down 16.3 percent. The Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid combined sales of 3,214 units yielded an 8.0 percent gain vs. the same selling period a year ago. The Honda Accord Hybrid sales fell yet again to 439 units for a loss of 18.8 percent vs. the year ago period.

For the fuel efficient non-hybrid automobiles, the Corolla continues to lead all sales with an all-time best-ever sales of 45,238 units for the month of May, an increase of 4.7 percent over the year-ago period. Honda Civic sales saw a healthy increase to 39,993 units, an increase of 32.6 percent. The Toyota Yaris subcompact posted best-ever May sales totaling 10,949, an increase of 30.5 percent over the same period a year ago.

Overall sales YTD (year to date) of the “Big 7” Hybrids listed below showed an increase of 54.3 percent vs. the year ago comparison period. This month is the first in quite some time where all 4 of the fuel efficient hybrids including the Prius II, HCH-II, TCH, and FEH all saw gains vs. the performance hybrids which again all saw percentage losses.

May 2007 Hybrid sales summary:

		Month to Date			Year to Date
Make and Model	May 2007	May 2006	DSR* % Change	May 2007	May 2006	DSR* % Change
Toyota Prius	24,009	8,103	+184.9%	76,747	38,460	+98.0%
Toyota Camry Hybrid	6,853	3,032	+117.3%	22,540	3,118	+617.2%
Honda Civic Hybrid	4,520	2,890	+50.4%	13,895	13,154	+4.8%
Toyota Highlander Hybrid	3,312	3,755	-15.2%	11,909	15,404	-23.3%
Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid	3,214	2,862	+8.0%	10,938	10,111	+7.3%
Lexus RX400h	1,746	2,006	-16.3%	7,095	10,003	-29.6%
Honda Accord Hybrid	439	520	-18.8%	1,702	2,849	-40.7%

May 2007 fuel efficient Non-hybrid sales summary:

		Month to Date			Year to Date
Make and Model	May 2007	May 2006	DSR* % Change	May 2007	May 2006	DSR* % Change
Toyota Corolla	45,238	41,550	+4.7%	165,722	159,992	+2.8%
Honda Civic	39,993	29,006	+32.6%	137,288	138,744	-1.8%
Toyota Yaris	10,949	8,065	+30.5	37,367	15,797	+134.7%

DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 26 selling days for the May 2007 sales month vs. 25 for May 2006. There were 127 selling days for the year through May 2007, 1 more then through May of 2006.

Sales of performance hybrids (the AH in particular) shows an ever increasing disparity vs. the high fuel economy hybrids once again.