Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
(click images for a larger view)
Get the Guaranteed Best Price from over 4,000 certified dealers for the vehicle of your choice.
Published December 3, 2011
The HybridCars.com monthly sales dashboard is a collaboration of HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates, a Michigan-based market research firm focusing on automotive issues including the hybrid and electric vehicle market.
Hybrid sales continued their rebound based on increased availability. Sales in November exceeded all months except March, where availability was strong and gas prices were much higher. The Toyota Prius led the way, with the highest result since March and this one model representing 58 percent of total hybrid sales. Most hybrid models offered by Lexus and Toyota experienced strong growth over October 2011, again due to availability.
The Chevrolet Volt narrowly improved on its all time monthly sales high, but unless GM can more than triple its current monthly sales record in December, it will not be enough to meet its goal of 10,000 U.S. deliveries by the end of the calendar year.
The Escape and Fusion hybrids both did very well, although the Escape hybrid will be replaced next year by the C-Max hybrid and plug-in.
Mild hybrids offered by Buick (Regal and Lacrosse) are just beginning to be available and should increase in the coming months, joined by the Malibu which will be sold in strong numbers in the new year.
Hybrids in November 2011 grew by 30 percent over last month and 24 percent over November 2010, far ahead of a decline of 2.5 percent or a gain of 14 percent for the overall month. In addition, hybrid sales year-to-date are only 3.4 percent below 2010 year-to-date, which is noteworthy given the lack of availability for much of the year.
Vehicle side notes: BMW X6 hybrid sales for this month are negative (-1) and the Buick Regal and Panamera S hybrids are new additions. Also the Kia Optima remains unreported, as is the Toyota Prius V, Fisker Karma, and (all-electric) Tesla Roadster. Hyundai Sonata hybrid sales are again assumed at 11 percent of the total, as we have done for the last several months.
Diesel sales continue to grow, although last month volumes were only modestly above October, albeit there was strong growth vs. November 2010.
Plug-in sales increased from last month, albeit at a lower level than expected. Volt sales grew, but GM's 10,000 goal for 2011 will not likely be met. The availability of demonstrator models for sale was not enough to increase sales in November to allow the annual goal to be met. The safety issues regarding the Volt batteries in a crash (or post-crash) situation are not thought to be a major factor in November sales. GM will certainly be working aggressively to address this issue in the coming weeks.
Hybrids sold in the U.S. (November 2011):26,110
Hybrid Take-Rate:2.63 percent
| Model | Units | vs. last month | vs. October 2010 | CYTD | vs. CYTD 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Prius | 15,208 | 38.2% | 48.7% | 119,459 | -4.7% |
| Lexus CT 200h | 1,759 | 16.4% | n/a | 12,122 | n/a |
| Hyundai Sonata | 1,723 | -13.9% | n/a | 17,766 | n/a |
| Ford Escape | 1,131 | 97.4% | 48.0% | 9.009 | -12.6% |
| Ford Fusion | 993 | 15.9% | -28.9% | 10,398 | -46.2% |
| Lexus RX450h | 928 | 7.8% | -28.2% | 9,490 | -30.1% |
| Honda Insight | 749 | 52.2% | -51.2% | 14,859 | -23.1% |
| Toyota Camry | 730 | 119.2% | -25.7% | 7,444 | -44.3% |
| Buick LaCrosse | 522 | 11.0% | n/a | 819 | n/a |
| Honda Civic | 503 | 4.8% | -17.8% | 4,138 | -35.6% |
| Linc. MKZ Hybrid | 475 | -0.4% | 21.2% | 5,305 | 590.8% |
| Toy. Highlander | 322 | 34.7% | -55.4% | 3,986 | -38.7% |
| Honda CR-Z | 305 | 5.5% | -70.2% | 10,766 | 146.2% |
| Lexus HS 250h | 207 | 1.0% | -73.7% | 2,590 | -72.9% |
| Porsche Cayenne | 140 | 30.8% | 4.5% | 1,482 | 973.9% |
| Altima | 55 | 12.24% | -87.3% | 3,202 | -47.5% |
| Infiniti M35h | 46 | 39.4% | n/a | 324 | n/a |
| Buick Regal | 37 | n/a | n/a | 37 | n/a |
| Chevy Silverado | 37 | -24.5% | -2.6% | 806 | -54.1% |
| Mazda Tribute | 36 | -5.3% | -21.7% | 448 | -26.2% |
| Cad. Escalade | 30 | 0% | -62.0% | 740 | -31.4% |
| Chevy Tahoe | 28 | -20.0% | -59.4% | 479 | -63.2% |
| Porsche Panamera S | 26 | n/a | n/a | 26 | n/a |
| BMW Hybrid 7 | 25 | 177.8% | 212.5% | 287/td> | 277.6% |
| Lexus GS450h | 22 | 15.8% | 22.2% | 249 | -9.5% |
| VW Touareg Hybrid | 21 | 16.7% | n/a | 361 | n/a |
| GMC Yukon Hybrid | 21 | 8.7% | -67.7% | 549 | -50.1% |
| Mercedes S400HV | 19 | 111.1% | -51.3% | 272 | -70.2% |
| GMC Sierra | 8 | 100.0% | -86.4% | 154 | -67.8% |
| Lexus LS600hL | 5 | -37.5% | -61.5% | 75 | -33.0% |
| BMW X6 | -1 | -150.0% | -111.1 | 40 | -83.5% |
| Chevy Malibu Hybrid | 0 | n/a | -100.0% | 24 | -94.0% |
| Mercedes ML450 | 0 | n/a | -100.0% | 1 | -99.9% |
| All hybrids | 26,110 | 30.2% | 24.4% | 237,707 | -3.4% |
| All vehicles | 991,663 | -2.5% | 14.0% | 11,495,790 | 10.4% |
Plug-in cars sold in the U.S. (November 2011):1,974
Plug-in Take-Rate:0.19%
| Model | Units | vs. last month | vs. September 2010 | CYTD | vs. CYTD 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Volt | 1,139 | 2.8% | n/a | 6,142 | n/a |
| Nissan LEAF | 672 | -20.8% | n/a | 8,720 | n/a |
| Smart ED | 101 | 494.1% | n/a | 206 | n/a |
| All plug-in cars | 1,912 | 8.8% | n/a | 15,068 | n/a |
| All vehicles | 991,663 | -2.5% | 14.% | 11,495,790 | 10.4% |
Clean Diesels sold in the U.S. (November 2011):9,276
Diesel Take-Rate:0.94%
| Model | Units | vs. last month | vs. October 2010 | CYTD | vs. CYTD 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VW Jetta | 3,288 | -9.4% | -7.2% | 48,002 | 18.9% |
| Passat | 1,184 | 1.9% | n/a | 2,954 | n/a |
| Mercedes GL320 | 958 | 16.8% | 164.6% | 5,209 | 63.5% |
| Mercedes ML320 | 828 | -4.6% | 279.8% | 4,252 | 80.6% |
| BMW X5 | 767 | 66.7% | -0.4% | 6,258 | -12.1% |
| Volkswagen Golf | 683 | -3.8% | 53.5% | 8,969 | 78.1% |
| VW Touareg | 464 | 19.9% | 887.2% | 3.042 | 116.8% |
| BMW 335d | 307 | 9.3% | -14.2% | 3,243 | -4.0% |
| Audi A3 | 269 | 46.2% | -50.1% | 3,282 | 2.1% |
| Audi Q7 | 217 | -28.1% | -52.5% | 3,412 | 14.1% |
| Mercedes E320 | 210 | 52.2% | -26.1% | 2,580 | 314.8% |
| Mercedes S350 | 87 | -8.2% | n/a | 161 | n/a |
| Mercedes R320 | 14 | -53.3% | -41.7% | 450 | 38.0% |
| Jeep Gr Cherokee | - | n/a | -100.0% | 152 | -89.4% |
| All clean diesels | 7,885 | 2.9% | 0.7% | 81,662 | 27.2% |
| All vehicles | 991,663 | -2.5% | 14.0% | 11,495,790 | 10.4% |
(click images for a larger view)
Get the Guaranteed Best Price from over 4,000 certified dealers for the vehicle of your choice.
(click images for a larger view)
Published December 2, 2011
Honda AC-X Concept.
At the Tokyo Motor Show this week, carmakers revealed the usual array of concepts ranging from fuel cell sedans to electric sports cars. Honda plays this game as well as any major carmaker, and this year brought an electrified version of its Fit subcompact, an electric Micro Commuter Concept that somewhat resembles a Renault Twizy, a 100-mile-range electric roadster similar in size and style to the Honda S2000, and a plug-in hybrid concept called the Honda Advanced Cruiser-X (AC-X), similar in functionality to Toyota's forthcoming Prius HPV plug-in hybrid.
But beyond the concepts, Honda president Takanobu Ito's message to reporters at Tokyo this year was focused on the near term, namely the period between model year 2012 and 2020―by which time Honda has pledged to reduce average emissions of its vehicles by 30 percent. When asked whether Honda plans to keep pace with Nissan's electric vehicle program and its goal of selling 1.5 million electrics by 2015, Ito urged a broader view of green vehicle technologies, which by his company's vision include electric vehicles but are by no means centered around them.
“If you think about the concept EVs introduced by Honda at this Tokyo Motor Show, you see that electric cars are important. I will not deny that," said Ito. "But when you consider the performance of batteries, the charging times, plus the cost of batteries, I think pure EVs would be best for compact, very small cars.”
For larger vehicles―which will undeniably continue play a significant role in the consumer automotive market for the foreseeable future―Honda favors hybrid technology like that that will be featured in the newly resurrected Accord hybrid, which will reportedly go on sale in Japan next year. The original Accord hybrid was a flop in the U.S. thanks to its $3,000 price premium and relatively low fuel economy compared to other hybrids. Though the car offered superior performance and more roominess than other gas-electrics and offered considerable fuel savings compared to the standard Accord V6, hybrid shoppers favored cars at the higher end of the efficiency spectrum, like the Prius.
For the forthcoming Accord hybrid, Honda has developed a new dedicated powertrain for mid- and large-sized vehicles that includes an updated continuously variable transmission and a new variable valve timing system, which transitions the engine from Atkinson cycle timing for highway driving to a standard Otto cycle for improved performance in the city.
“We believe we already have the technology in our hands, and for the next 10 to 20 years,” said Ito. “I think in order to reduce CO2, we would have to use these different technologies, of which pure battery cars are one. But proportion-wise, I think hybrids will be the largest.”
