UK Hybrid Sales Hit 100,000, with Europe Hitting 400,000

Hybrid sales in the UK have hit 100,000 in total, with over 77,000 of those coming from Toyota/Lexus.

OK, they're not anywhere near the USA or Japan but I recon we're not doing too bad considering a total of 400,000 have been sold in Europe as a whole (including the 100,000 in the UK). So despite having a population of 70 million, out of 730 million we account for 25% of hybrid sales.

Hybrid sales pass 100,000 as Toyota and Lexus sales rise | Toyota UK news, reviews, video and pictures

Toyota delivers its 400,000th hybrid car in Europe | Toyota UK news, reviews, video and pictures

May our air be cleaner :rockon:

 

Blimey that's a request

Erm each Country in Europe has differing fuel priorities, many from decades ago. An example being that diesel fuel in France is about 30% cheaper than petrol, whereas in the UK diesel is about 5% more expensive than premium unleaded. As such, hybrids are becoming popular here, whereas in France diesel rules (you do get hybrids but they're quite rare). It's not that easy though - about 51% of new cars in the UK are diesels but they are mainly SUV's (almost impossible to find a new V8 petrol SUV here) and larger cars.

It's difficult to compare cars to the Prius as many of the Euro competitors are not available in America. Any Japanese or European car you can think of will probably have a diesel version in Europe and often there are more diesel engine options than petrol ones!

The main taxi alternatives available to me (other than the iconic London cab which is too expensive to run outside London) are the Ford Mondeo [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mondeo]Ford Mondeo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] , Vauxhall Insignia [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_Insignia]Opel Insignia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] , Skoda Superb [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skoda_Superb]Å koda Superb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] , Peugeot 407 [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_407]Peugeot 407 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] as well as the European version of the VW Passatt.

I have made savings of about £2,500 per year in fuel costs by running the Prius and there are also tax benefits to having a hybrid in the UK too. However, the Prius has steadily become more expensive compared to the competitors for some reason (currency conversions?) and this is making it less and less viable despite the fuel savings. I have had issues with the steering motor on the gen3 Prius and am on my 3rd motor! at a cost of £2,000 fitted inc 20% sales tax - previously covered under warranty.

I could just have been unlucky as more and more cabbies are heading for a hybrid vehicle - mainly the Prius. The Camry isn't available in Europe and the equivalent, the Toyota Avensis [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avensis]Toyota Avensis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] doesn't yet have a hybrid option.

But for your average commuter, the benefits of hybrids are becoming known, hence sales increasing - though still only about 1% of total UK sales.

The main hybrid Countries in Europe are the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Holland and Norway with Portugal and Spain having good hybrid sales too. Germans prefer diesel (see VW, Audi, BMW & Merc) and few, if any benefits apply to EV's or hybrids there.

Oh, and because of high fuel prices (£1.43 a litre, £5.30/$8.60 US gallon), manual transmission cars are most popular on about a 70/30 split, and these manual transmissions are 6 speed economy versions, rather than the 5 speed sports versions you get in the US. As such, diesel manuals can get very similar mpg's to a hybrid making the benefits to people happy with a manual much less worthwhile.

I have had to leave the taxi game for a number of reasons but one is that fuel has gone up over 40% in 2 years, yet my tariffs are set by the local government based on the cost of living index which is running at about 3% - a big difference.

Hope that answers any queries.