Ran across this on GCC: US Sales of Hybrids Up 52% Thought folks might enjoy reading it. It's certainly good news for hybrids.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Mar 7 2007, 11:57 AM) [snapback]401713[/snapback]</div> Why do you say that? The same has been pretty flat since March 05. Feb 07 has unusually high number. Normally, the sales pick up during Spring till Summer. It looks like due to the production increase, the numbers are going up starting Feb 07.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(usbseawolf2000 @ Mar 7 2007, 11:38 AM) [snapback]401796[/snapback]</div> I'm pretty sure the smilie at the end of qbee42's post is not an indication of nefarious maniacal laughter combined with evil palm rubbing at the thought of the Prius' demise, but a note of sarcasm.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(usbseawolf2000 @ Mar 7 2007, 01:38 PM) [snapback]401796[/snapback]</div> ... I think he was kidding. :lol:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ari @ Mar 7 2007, 04:03 PM) [snapback]401848[/snapback]</div> Oh.. I miss that. :blink:
Well, clearly the media articles about run-away hybrids, moonscapes in Canada, fear of electrocution, highway stalls, and untested technology have really worked to curb the sales of hybrids. (notice the smiley and listen for the maniacal laughter)
It was sarcasm. Popular media seems to delight in bad stories about the Prius...how sales are flat (Toyota is selling all they can make), how the mileage isn't as good as Toyota claims (it's the EPA, and it's wrong for all cars), how they are impossible to get; and now that Toyota is ramping up production, how there is a surplus sitting on car dealer's lots. Toyota can't buy a break, so I thought I'd bash them too. Tom <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kinghuang @ Mar 7 2007, 04:00 PM) [snapback]401846[/snapback]</div> I do that a lot, but not at the thought of the Prius' demise. Heehhaaahoooeeeeehh Tom
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Mar 7 2007, 03:07 PM) [snapback]401887[/snapback]</div> Toyota ramped up an artificial demand for the Prius based on numbers published before, however the tax incentives were a big draw for buyers which has now been cut drastically. If the Feds raised the tax credits even for just a little while more, the dealers would be selling out of them fast.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NineToez @ Mar 7 2007, 11:44 PM) [snapback]402081[/snapback]</div> When gas prices went down to below $2 here for several months, the dealer nearby had a lot of Prii on the lot. Now that gas is up to around $2.50, that is changing somewhat. Still, I didn't see a tremendous number of new large SUVs on the roads this winter and I believe it's because a lot of people are keenly aware of how volatile gas prices are. They increased by 25% in just a matter of a month. If we are indeed running out of cheap oil and the middle east gets more unstable, I think that the Prius will become the car of choice, even around here. Granted, a lot of people "need" a large SUV but if gasoline gets up to $3.50 again, it'll be a genuine test of whether that need is actually just a want or not. NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices jumped by more than $1 per barrel Wednesday, after the U.S. government reported an unexpected drop in crude oil inventories amid the lowest import levels since 2005... http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL...EMPLATE=DEFAULT
