More ammunition to combat the nitwits who contend that only Detroit is having auto sales trouble due to our stupidity in building only gas-guzzlers: Sales of hybrid electric vehicles plunged 50 percent in November to fewer than 16,600, Green Car Congress.com reported.
The online publication noted that overall demand for cars and light-duty trucks fell 37 percent last month, meaning gas-sipping hybrids are in even worse sales shape than the industry overall.
Hybrids accounted for 2.2 percent of the United States new-vehicle market in November. This is down slightly from their year-to-date share of 2.4 percent.
Market leader Toyota Motor Corp. posted lower sales for all six of its hybrid vehicles. It sold nearly 8,700 of the top-selling Prius -- 48 percent fewer than a year ago and the lowest monthly total for the nameplate since January 2007. Demand for the Camry Hybrid slid 58 percent to about 2,200 units. This compares to a 29 percent drop in all Camrys in the U.S.
Sales of the Highlander Hybrid and a trio of gasoline-electric Lexus models (Rx, GSh and 600h) were all off 60 percent or more.
Combined sales of Ford Motor Co.’s Escape and Mariner SUV hybrids fell 39 percent to fewer than 1,400 for the month. Demand for Escape and Mariner overall fell 18 percent.
General Motors Corp. sold more than 1,300 hybrid vehicles last month, including nearly 800 of the two-mode hybrid versions of the Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade full-size SUVs. The rest of the total was divided among the Saturn VUE Green Line Hybrid and micro hybrid versions of the Malibu and Saturn Aura.
Other hybrid sellers reported similar declines in demand in the U.S. market. Hybrid versions of the Honda Civic fell 68 percent to 1,043 units vs. 30 percent for Civics overall, and demand for the Nissan Altima hybrid plunged 70 percent to 353 cars in November. Chrysler LLC sold only 35 of its just-launched Aspen and Durango two-mode hybrid SUVs last month.
According to AutoBeat Daily, analysts say falling fuel prices (down 59 percent since July) and the relatively high cost of hybrid vehicles are hurting sales. Hybrid enthusiasts point to another possibility: Buyers may be holding off for the impending arrival of the next-generation Toyota Prius and all-new Honda Insight hybrid.
AutoBeat says critics also say the shift in consumer demand suggests Congress should not rush to compel domestic automakers to produce many more hybrids and electric vehicles as a condition for receiving federal loans to aid their liquidity.
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