Hybrid Car Sales - February 2008 ~ Hybrid Car Review
Hybrid Car Review: Hybrid Car Sales - February 2008

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Hybrid Car Sales - February 2008

Hybrid Car Sales Graph February 2008Hybrid car sales have dropped 3% in February compared to last February, despite the one extra day of sales. Sales from Toyota and Honda were down, while Ford and Nissan hybrid vehicle sales increased. GM still doesn't share their sales (why????). Total sales through 2008 are up 10%, even without the GM sales added in.

On a side note, I saw in a story yesterday that GM had sold under 200 of their new Yukon and Tahoe Hybrids in January.

Honda hybrid sales have continued to suffer in comparison as the Accord Hybrid (retired) continues to wind down. Civic Hybrid sales declined 6%.

Toyota sales declined 3%, mostly on the depression of Prius sales. Part of that decline can be attributed to the record sales Toyota had last February, as their production roadblock had been removed. While Toyota should expect Prius sales to be increased as the year continues, it seems production of the Prius has hit a high point, so the increase will not be as high as you could expect.

Hybrid Car Sales February 2007 vs February 2008Still, the Prius makes up 50% of the hybrid marketplace all by itself. Add in all the other Toyota and Lexus models and Toyota dominates the hybrid marketplace with over 80% of all hybrid sales coming from them.

Toyota did have a remarkable increase in sales of the Camry Hybrid. Highlander Hybrid sales held steady with a 2% increase, while Lexus hybrid car sales were down. Both the GS 450h and RX 400h showed declines.

Ford increased sales of their Escape and Mariner Hybrids by 3%, while Nissan had an increase of 157% from last February. This marks the one year anniversary of the Nissan Altima Hybrid, so that percentage should be taken in context.

Hybrid Car Sales Percentage of Models SoldOne important note about hybrid car sales this year is the limitation on production. Last year, hybrid sales increase by almost 38%. This year, an increase of sales will come from new models, as car makers limit sales on their hybrid cars until they can show a profit.

Ford expects to show a profit this year as their two new models come online. Nissan limits sales of the Altima Hybrid to only eight states. GM hybrid sales have been limited so far because of their mild nature (about 100 per month). It's unclear how well they'll do with their new 2-mode hybrids, but until they start separating out those sales, it's hard for an outsider to even guess.

Toyota was able to increase sales on the Prius by separating the production of the Camry Hybrid and the Prius. But now the Prius is one of the top 10 cars being sold, it's hard to imagine sales to increase dramatically for them. It's possible we'll see the overflow onto the Camry hybrid this year.

Make











Model Feb-07





Feb-08






% Change
Honda











Accord 312





42






-87%
Honda











Civic 1,924





1,808






-6%
Honda











Insight 0





0






-
Toyota











Prius 12,227





10,895






-11%
Toyota











Highlander 1,892





1,938






2%
Toyota











Camry 3,332





4,121






24%
Toyota











GS 450h 160





77






-52%
Toyota











RX 400h 1,249





1,148






-8%
Toyota











LS600hL 0





112






-
Ford











Escape/Mariner 1,696





1,743






3%
Nissan











Altima 206





529






157%
Total












22998





22413






-3%
Make











Model Cumulative, 2006





Cumulative, 2007






% Change
Honda











Accord 560





90






-84%
Honda











Civic 3707





3553






-4%
Honda











Insight 0





0






-
Toyota











Prius 20526





22274






9%
Toyota











Highlander 3702





4081






10%
Toyota











Camry 6133





7871






28%
Toyota











GS 450h 327





141






-57%
Toyota











RX 400h 2494





2359






-5%
Toyota











LS600hL 0





217






-
Ford











Escape/Mariner 2934





3217






10%
Nissan











Altima 206





1002






386%
Total












40589





44805






10%

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2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm sure production will continue to increase! Gas prices really do affect everybody. At some point we'll all drive EVs just like in futuristic movies.

Abby Carmel said...

I'm an editor for Seeking Alpha. Please contact me at your convenience at acarmel@seekingalpha.com. Abby

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