High Yield Hybrid

Warning: I'm all over the place with this one.

Word is the Toyota Prius outsold the Ford Explorer in 2007. It's an interesting statistic and I think it does say something about the nation's changing attitudes towards car purchases, fuel economy, and the environment. However, I'm not sure it says that much.

Comparing the sales of two similar vehicles is a good indicator of buyer preferences. Looking at sales for a Honda Civic vs. those for a Volkswagen Jetta seems like a valid comparison. But, once that comparison starts spanning completely different market segments, the validity of the comparison drops. This is especially true when the different market segments are as vastly different in size and scope as large SUVs and hybrid cars. Let's face, if a buyer is looking for an SUV, the Explorer is only one option out of dozens. What manufacturer doesn't build a SUV? On the other hand, a buyer looking for a hybrid car, can choose from, what, a handful options? An even better comparison would be to compare sales of hybrid Civics with their non-hybrid counterparts. Those interested in the SUV market would be advised to check the numbers of something like the hybrid and non-hybrid Toyota Highlanders.

Somewhat related is that the Prius dramatically outsells its closest competitor, the Honda Civic hybrid. One would think the Civic, having been around since the mid-1970s, would have a strong following of previous owners. Is the difference due to Prius having been around a few more years than the Civic hybrid? Or, does it have more to do with the image of hybrid cars and hybrid car owners as this editorial argues? Is there something to be said for flaunting one's greenness.

Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not anti-hybrid by any means. I do question whether hybrids are a long-term answer to ongoing fuel issues and I'm hesitant to put that much money into something that's a band-aid. If a hybrid makes financial sense when we're looking for our next car, we'll certainly consider it. If it comes down to me having to drive the car fifteen years for the fuel savings to catch up with the extra expenditure...well...it's probably not going to happen.

Anyway, hybrid sales for November of 2007 made up less than 3% of "light duty" vehicle sales. I think that's still a dramatic upswing from some past numbers but there's still a long way to go. Keep it up, hybrids, my checkbook is watching.