Last year, more than one-quarter of a million hybrid cars and trucks have been purchased in America. The question now is: what will sales for hybrid cars look like this year? The forecasts which analysts talk about vary a lot, with sales growth projected to be as low as 19% and as high as 86%. Nobody really knows which of those forecasts one should follow, but in all cases, we should be optimistic about hybrid sales for the next few years for at least two reasons:
Toyota itself, the world's leader, is optimistic. Yes, right now, Toyota drives the hybrid market. Their models are counting for more than three-quarters of all hybrid sales last year. That's not peanuts! The President of Toyota, Katsuaki Watanabe, estimated sales this year in North America at over 300,000 units, which is about a 50% increase from last year! Analysts following the hybrid car market can therefore predict whatever sales number they could even dream of for next year, but when Toyota's President provides some guidance in terms of sales, it's really the "real deal".
The second reason for which we can be optimistic is that the number of hybrid offerings, from Toyota itself as from most other car makers, will expand dramatically. In the next 12 to 24 months, the number of cars and trucks offering hybrid motors will double. As a consequence, there will be more choice for consumers interested in buying hybrids. Although some of the new vehicles (e.g. Mazda Tribute) are essentially just redesigned versions of existing hybrid models, most other new cars and trucks expand the hybrid system into new vehicle classes. Therefore, it is wise to pay close attention to sales of General Motors, Cadillac, and Dodge, as they will be true full-hybrids, employing the special dual-mode hybrid system which has been developed by the alliance between GM/DaimlerChrysler/BMW (unlike previous mild-hybrid offerings).
We can't yet talk about hybrid technology built in full-sized SUV buyers but are looking forward to such development. With over 500'000 Americans which invested in full-sized SUVs last year, car makers will probably soon show up with some hybrid SUV. However, even if a modest fraction of them opted for a hybrid version, it would definitely boost overall hybrid sales.
Read more about hybrid cars, and how to save money every day with our driving tips for hybrid car owners.
