Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • International Elastomer Show
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • ITEC
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Starting young: Rubber Division targets high schools to fill talent gap
      ChemSpec enjoying busy 2019 with new agreements, division
      view gallery
      18 photos
      Rubber Division honors leaders, students at Business and Awards Meeting
      view gallery
      9 photos
      Rubber Division wraps up 2019 International Elastomer Conference
    • Goodyear to supply intelligent tires to fleets in Europe
      Denso exec keeps AV sights set on Level 2
      Wacky World of Rubber: Floating ideas for the future of mobility
      GM cutting 800 jobs to retool Detroit plant for EVs
    • Goodyear to supply intelligent tires to fleets in Europe
      Roderic Quirk named National Academy of Inventors Fellow
      USTMA aims to raise scrap tire recovery rate
      Yokohama adds winter fitment to grader tire line
    • Denso exec keeps AV sights set on Level 2
      Roderic Quirk named National Academy of Inventors Fellow
      view gallery
      6 photos
      ContiTech belt unit running smoothly after Veyance integration
      Trelleborg launches major restructuring plan
    • DRI makes deal, invests for future growth
      New Products: Lanxess introduces vulcanization accelerator
      Emergency crews battle to contain Port Neches butadiene blaze
      Starting young: Rubber Division targets high schools to fill talent gap
    • Kent Elastomer promotes two
      3D specialist Carbon hires former DuPont CEO Kullman as new leader
      Struktol names Mark Skakun new president
      Ace Products & Consulting adds to team, prepares for next phase
    • USTMA aims to raise scrap tire recovery rate
      Aeolus, Onyx discussing truck, bus tire joint venture in Sri Lanka
      ETRMA praises EU's tire labeling regulation efforts
      Industry mounts USMCA push to shore up flagging manufacturing sector
    • Goodyear finds traction with soybean oil
      Cassioli expands with sales office in Alabama
      Rodolfo Comerio looks forward as it celebrates past
      Editorial: Innovation often follows its own path, timetable
    • Column: Lessons from Best Places to Work
      Editorial: Cooper Standard a sign of changing automotive times
      Editorial: Hose industry makes big strides in safety focus
      Column: Meeting new faces at Rubber Expo
    • EPDM solution for automotive dense weatherstrip
      High heat resistant EPDMs for auto hose uses
      Rubber standards in today’s world economy
      Hydroponic cultivation has high yield potential for TKS
    • Sponsor Content
      Rubber in Transportation and Tire
      Sponsor Content
      Rubber in Wire and Cable
      Sponsor Content
      Process Control Systems Ensure Consistency and Lot Traceability While Protecting Proprietary Formulations
      Sponsor Content
      Reasons for Using Performance Additives
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: Lanxess introduces vulcanization accelerator
      Covestro's CO2 technology earns Germany's President's prize
      New Products: LSR 3D printing technology spotlighted at K Show
      New Products: Evonik releases silicone resin
    • Wacky World of Rubber: Floating ideas for the future of mobility
      Wacky World of Rubber: Goodyear, rubber industry make parade part of Thanksgiving traditions
      Wacky World of Rubber: How to make your own Halloween mask
      Wacky World of Rubber: 'Ode to a Tire'
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Goodyear to supply intelligent tires to fleets in Europe
      Denso exec keeps AV sights set on Level 2
      Wacky World of Rubber: Floating ideas for the future of mobility
      GM cutting 800 jobs to retool Detroit plant for EVs
    • Starting young: Rubber Division targets high schools to fill talent gap
      Column: Lessons from Best Places to Work
      New Products: LSR 3D printing technology spotlighted at K Show
      Rubber parts makers invest in Central, Eastern Europe
    • Starting young: Rubber Division targets high schools to fill talent gap
      Kent Elastomer promotes two
      Corrie MacColl details landmark collaboration in Cameroon
      Natural rubber producers signal decline in production
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Data Store
    • Digital Issue
    • White Papers
  • Events
    • RPN Conferences
    • RPN Live
    • Events Calendar
    • Submit an Event
    • Webinars
    • Past Events
  • Advertise
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
January 23, 2009 01:00 AM

Hybrid sales in U.S. slip 9.9% in 2008

Chrissie Thompson
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    DETROIT (Jan. 23, 2009) — U.S. sales of gasoline-electric hybrids fell 9.9 percent in 2008, after rising with gasoline prices early in the year and falling along with fuel costs and a collapsing auto market at the end.

    Auto makers sold 315,761 hybrids last year, 2.4 percent of the total vehicle market.

    Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. again sold about three of every four hybrids in the U.S., despite new entries from General Motors Corp.. The segment-leading Toyota Prius reflected the topsy-turvy year: It tallied 91,440 sales in the first half and 67,444 in the second.

    "At $1.50 a gallon, the American public is not willing to pay for fuel-saving technology," GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said at last week's Detroit auto show.

    American Honda Motor Co. and Toyota each sold 12.5 percent fewer hybrids last year than in 2007.

    Ford Motor Co., No. 3 in hybrid sales behind Honda, suffered the greatest decline, down 22.2 percent. GM nearly tripled sales to 14,439 after adding hybrid versions of the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Malibu and Tahoe. Honda sold one hybrid for every eight Toyota delivered.

    Consumers changed their buying habits when gasoline prices passed $3.50 a gallon in April, Fin O'Neill, president of the market research firm J.D. Power and Associates, said in a speech last week in Detroit. After topping $4 in July, fuel prices tumbled to an average of $1.62 per gallon last month.

    The sliding cost of gasoline coincided with a global financial crisis that squeezed credit and dragged vehicle sales to 25-year lows in the fourth quarter.

    Hybrids weren't immune. Prius sales in November and December plunged more than 45 percent, prompting Toyota to delay plans to build the car in the U.S.

    The abrupt shift in Prius demand shows that fuel-efficient vehicles lose some appeal when gasoline prices are low, AutoNation Inc. CEO Mike Jackson said Wednesday at the Automotive News World Congress. A government that mandates fuel efficiency should use a fuel tax to encourage consumers to buy energy-saving vehicles, he said.

    "Cheap gasoline combined with fuel efficiency mandated by the government is an economic and environmental disaster for America," Jackson said. "When the cost per mile driven goes down, people buy bigger, faster" cars and trucks, he said.

    But consumers do want fuel-saving technology, other speakers told the World Congress.

    "North America is catching up with the rest of the world — particularly the North American consumer — on the importance of these things," said Harold Krivan, president of the consulting firm Sawgrass Solutions L.L.C.

    For now, auto makers need to bring green technology's cost in line with its value to consumers, said Andrew Brown Jr., chief technologist at Delphi Corp.

    "People want the technology, but it's got to be economical," Brown said. "That's the challenge in the industry now: to get the cost of those components down."

    Most of the figures for hybrid sales come from auto makers; the National Renewable Energy Laboratory provides estimates for Nissan, along with the 2007 totals from GM that were used to calculate its gains for last year.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News Europe
    • Plastics News China
    • Plastics & Rubber World
    • LSR World
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Autoweek
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2019. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • International Elastomer Show
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • ITEC
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Data Store
      • Digital Issue
      • White Papers
    • Events
      • RPN Conferences
      • RPN Live
      • Events Calendar
      • Submit an Event
      • Webinars
      • Past Events
    • Advertise