Besides the HCH-II Fed tax credit sunset, Camry and Prius sales did well.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Oct. 4, 2007
The 2007 HCH-II’s total cumulative sales of 60,000 vehicles was breached during the calendar quarter ending Sept. 30, 2007. The current $2,100 Federal tax credit will be cut to just $1,050 starting January 1, 2008, $525 from July 1, 2008 through Dec. 31, 2008 and disappear entirely after Jan 1, 2009.
The outgoing 2007 Toyota Highlander’s poor showing can possibly be attributed to the newly redesigned 08’s in route. Or can it? The rest of the fuel efficient Hybrids and non-hybrids had yet another disconcerting month with decreases seen on a month over month basis by comparison to last years levels other then the Prius, TCH and FEH/MMH twins.
The Toyota Prius hybrid mid-size sedan posted yet another increase in monthly sales with a 23.8% increase over Sept. of 2006. The Toyota Camry Hybrid reported sales of 4,196, up 7.9% from the year ago monthly sales period. The FE/MMH twins with their combined sales of 1,652 units yielded a gain of 4.1% vs. the same selling period a year ago with one less sales day in the month. The HiHy sold just 193 units, down 91.4%. The Lexus RX 400h hybrid reported sales of 979 units for the month down 39.6% vs. the year ago period. The Honda Accord Hybrid sales dropped to 229 units as they have all but disappeared from dealership inventories.
For the fuel efficient non-hybrid automobiles, the Corolla was purchased to the tune of 29,550 units in Sept. 07 yielding a decline of 4.8% from the year-ago sales period. The Honda Civic had a mediocre month with 24,752 units sold, a decrease of 2.2%. The Toyota Yaris subcompact tallied just 5,956 vehicles sold, a decrease of 17.8% from the same period a year ago.
Overall sales YTD (year to date) of the “Big 7” Hybrids showed an increase of 31.6% vs. the year ago January through September sales period with the Prius leading the way. In fact, the Prius’ YTD sales is up 69.4%. The performance and all fuel efficient non-hybrids are still showing declines.
Sept. 2007 Hybrid sales summary:
| | | Month to Date | | | Year to Date | |
| Make and Model | Sept. 2007 | Sept. 2006 | DSR* % Change | Sept. 2007 | Sept. 2006 | DSR* % Change |
| Toyota Prius | 12,494 | 10492 | + 23.8% | 137,114 | 80,939 | + 69.4% |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | 4,196 | 4,0447 | +7.9% | 40,879 | 21,430 | +90.8% |
| Honda Civic Hybrid | 2,092 | 2,508 | -13.3% | 23,828 | 24,347 | -2.1% |
| Toyota Highlander Hybrid | 198 | 2,347 | -91.4% | 16,088 | 25,821 | -37.7% |
| Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid | 1,652 | 1,651 | +4.1% | 18,535 | 18,269 | +1.5% |
| Lexus RX400h | 979 | 1,687 | -39.6% | 12,193 | 15,614 | -21.9% |
| Honda Accord Hybrid | 229 | 389 | -38.8% | 2,808 | 4,637 | -39.4% |
Aug. 2007 fuel efficient Non-hybrid sales summary:
| | | Month to Date | | | Year to Date | |
| Make and Model | Aug. 2007 | Aug. 2006 | DSR* % Change | Aug. 2007 | Aug. 2006 | DSR* % Change |
| Toyota Corolla | 29,550 | 32,279 | -4.8% | 291,981 | 306,353 | -4.7% |
| Honda Civic | 24,752 | 26,331 | -2.2% | 254,955 | 251,543 | +1.4% |
| Toyota Yaris | 5,956 | 7,534 | -17.8% | 68,465 | 51,748 | +32.3% |
DSR*: Daily Selling Rate - There were 26 selling days in the Sept. 2006 sales month vs. 25 for Sept. 2007. There were 205 selling days for the year through Aug. 2007, the same as through Aug. of 2006.
Expect to see great fall deals on the Yaris and possibly Corolla.
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