Interest in hybrid vehicles rising, study says: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance "Seventy-two percent of recent car buyers said they're definitely or probably interested in getting a hybrid for their next vehicle, up from 58 percent of consumers in 2005, the survey by marketing and consulting firm J.D. Power and Associates showed." I always find these surveys kind of funny. People will answer surveys one way but when it comes to what they'll actually buy, the numbers are way different. Hybrids still make up a tiny % of US auto sales, yet look at the figure from 2005. I just saw a brand new monstrosity Escalade today w/o plates yet. It had both its ceiling video screens going. Sigh... I'm sure those parents really needed such a gas guzzling, polluting and dangerous (to others) land yacht.
Now is the best time to start buying the huge gas guzzlers. Some dealers are making great deals on them because the sales have dropped. My neighbor just traded their Honda mini van for a Honda Truck. They say that is has the same or just a little longer length than the van so they are happy. Usually only one person is in the vehicle at a time. Once a month they may drive together or with relatives. Those who can afford the gas will keep using it. Even when gas was $0.99 / gallon did people REALLY need those large trucks for urban use? In third world standards, my PRIUS is a gas guzzler. That makes me just as guilty. One day I will kick the gas tank for good. Evolution took millions of years, at least give me a few more to make some permanent changes.
Those survey numbers could be right, but hybrid production is apparently limited by battery production. Given that the Prius has been in the top ten vehicles in demand (by days spent on dealer lot) I think continuously since 2004, Prius sales are certainly not limited by consumer interest. If there were enough hybrids on the market, I bet their sales could reach an order of magnitude larger (3% -> 30%). My dad is interested in a Prius now, and in the early 90's (when I was single, with an office job) he was telling me I should get an SUV (I didn't listen to him of course). He's been a conservative Ford guy all his life, so if his interest has shifted like this, it could be widespread. I told him about the FEH, but the price is too high, and the supply is even more limited. He does have a small gas scooter that he rides into town for small errands, visiting people, etc.
My Dad was a conservative Caddy guy. But a few years ago he said he'd never buy another Caddy again. He wants a Lexus. My Mother would be happy in a Camry as she's concerned about cost. I told him Toyota makes Lexus and he could get just as nice a Toyota for less money. At the time he said he'd never buy a hybrid. But they've been riding in *my* Prius when we visit my sister 30 miles away. And the price of gas has been a oft visited topic of conversation. I wonder how much longer before dear ol' Dad starts to consider a hybrid to be not such a bad idea after all. *If* they do...I suspect it will either be a Prius (because that's what I have and they know it) or a Cambrid, because it has a little more high end luxury. (But the trunk space sucks. They will NOT like that.)
everyone still has a choice on what type of car they drive LOL SUV are not different, but since we got a prius its certainly benefits us and i see us as "winners" so to speak honestly if our H2 wasnt such a POS, we probably would have kept it, for fun and recreation and NOW is the best time to buy any gas guzzling vehicle as another member has mentioned...dealers are dealing, unlike the prius where most are def marking them up to ridiculous amounts haha my.02
Maybe it's the "best" time to buy them from an up front cost point of view, but they're still rather foolish to buy from a long term cost point of view due to gas prices and resale value. They could save money by buying a more sensible and cheaper vehicle for less to begin with and also get the benefit of spending less on gas. It's just ridiculous that I see so many monstrosity class (curb weight >5000 lb.) SUVs running around when the owners clearly don't "need" them at all. And when not looking at the cost point of view, it's clear that they don't care about the safety of other drivers, the environment, global warming, our dependence on foreign oil and being a bigger part of the oil demand problem.:tsk: I'm guessing he's referring to reliability problems. For the years Consumer Reports has reliability data for the H2, it has a worse than average reliability rating and a new car predicted reliability of much worse than average.
Is there still a $3500 tax break for cars OVER a specific weight (5000#s ?) ? It was there a couple of years ago. Our representatives "needed" the break to support their Suburbans etc. Subsidizing "gas hogs" is not PC. it seems to me. Carl
I see quite a few Hummers and SUVs on the used car lots. Week after week. They move them around to try to hide they fact they're not selling. Not even used.
mu local hummer dealer only has H3 in stock now LOL stupid cus they even released the V8 version...for what?!??? the original H3 with the 5cyl engine got better gas mileafe than a freakin honda odyssey V6 LOL if you really need an off road SUV that would be your best bet, non of these hybrid suv wanna be's LOL
