Hybrid Sales on Rise

It’s not quite the Cinderella story, but some people are looking to fit into gas sippers.
The number of hybrid car models is increasing as auto manufacturers attempt to appease buyers with more fuel-conscious vehicles.
The number one Toyota hybrid is the 55-mpg Prius, said Jonathon Hamby, sales manager for Toyota Scion of Fayetteville. He said the dealership sold 116 in 2006, almost 10 per month, but has sold about 40, about 13 per month, to start off 2007.
That follows the national number released by Toyota that reported its hybrid auto sales were up 68 percent for the first three months of the year.
The Prius, like other true hybrids, uses an electric motor to start the vehicle and accelerate. The gas engine kicks in for high acceleration moments and at higher speeds to assist the electric.
As such, hybrids usually get better gas mileage in the city than on the highway.
“For customers to really have a true benefit would need to be somebody that most of their driving in town under about 20 to 40 miles per hour,” said Buddy Wright, general manager for Bob Maloney Ford-Mercury in Rogers.
Wright carries the hybrid versions of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner. His problem is that supply isn’t meeting demand.
“The availability is very limited at this time,” he said. “Ford is going to up the production, but I don’t have any in stock right now.”
The Escape models usually stay on the lot for a couple of days, but no more than a couple of weeks, Wright said.
Most customers age 30 and above, he said, are interested in hybrids while younger people lean toward performance — a tradeoff in the models.
Another tradeoff people consider is price. When there is a non-hybrid model and a hybrid version, models often see about $3,000 difference on the price tag.
Andy Marroy, sales manager at Saturn of Northwest Arkansas, said his Saturn Vue is one case.
“I think people that are buying it are buying it because they want to do something for the environment,” he said. “The fuel economy is definitely better, but you have to spend a little more money to get a hybrid Vue than a regular Vue, so people are willing to spend the extra money to feel like they’re doing something.”
At Toyota, the price tradeoff is felt by the dealer. Hamby said sales of the hybrid versions of the Highlander and Camry make up just 5 percent of model sales.
“Because the cost is several thousand more for the hybrid versus the gas,” he said, “is it worth them on their monthly payment or is it worth them paying that extra amount to get a hybrid that gets a little better gas mileage?
The way to really reap that benefit is to keep the car for a long period of time.”