Hybrid Car Sales, May 2009

Published June 3, 2009 at 2:39 p.m.
Hybrid car sales fell again in May but at a drop of 29.9%, hybrids did outpace the general car sales.  24,725 hybrid cars were sold in May 2009, down from 35,285.  The biggest winners were new hybrids, like the Fusion, Milan, and Insight Hybrids.  Prius sales are still down, most likely in anticipation of the next generation Prius due out in June.  Next month should resolve the questions we have about Toyota Prius in the US.

Sales volume this year have been very similar to sales volume for 2006.  That's worrisome, given how many more models there are now in 2009 compared to 2006 (10 models in 2006 vs. 18 in 2009).  But as many analysts have pointed out, this was the best sales month since August 2008, pointing to at least a bottoming out.  Also, many of the new models are not expected to be high volume, given their luxury status.

Ford hybrid car sales were up 64% over last year and GM increased hybrid car sales by 30.9%.  Honda was up by 3.5% (7.5% if you adjust for selling days).  But these numbers are a little bit deceiving since hybrid cars that were being sold in May 2008 were down.   Overall sales for the brand were up because of new models, which have no comparator from last time around.

Cumulative hybrid car sales were down by 38.9% from this time last year.  Lower gas prices, but mostly the economy, have kept new car buyers away from the relatively expensive hybrid vehicles being offered.  Another big factor has been the anticipation of the next generation Prius, as well as the promised new plug-in models for 2010.


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Monthly...Sales	...	May...2008		May...2009		% Change
Make	Model	N	%	N	%
Chrysler	Aspen/Durango	0	0.0	0	0	0
Ford	Escape/Mariner	2,378	6.7	1,827	7.4	-23.2
Ford	Fusion/Milan	0	0.0	2,079	8.4	0.0
GM	Escalade	0	0.0	207	0.8	0.0
GM	Silverado/Sierra	0	0.0	130	0.5	0.0
GM	Tahoe/Yukon	589	1.7	434	1.8	-26.3
Honda	Accord	16	0.0	0	0.0	-100.0
Honda	Civic	4,676	13.3	2,077	8.4	-55.6
Honda	Insight	0	0.0	2,780	11.2	0.0
Nissan	Altima	1,607	4.6	345	1.4	-78.5
Toyota	Camry	5,999	17.0	2,941	11.9	-51.0
Toyota	GS 450h	98	0.3	43	0.2	-56.1
Toyota	Highlander	2,644	7.5	1,351	5.5	-48.9
Toyota	LS600hL	112	0.3	27	0.1	-75.9
Toyota	Prius	15,011	42.5	10,091	40.8	-32.8
Toyota	RX 400h	2,155	6.1	393	1.6	-81.8
Total	...	35,285	...	24,725	...	-29.9
...	...	...	...	...	...
...	...	...	...	...	...
Cumulative Sales	...	Cumulative 2008		Cumulative 2009		% Change
Make	Model	N	%	N	%
Chrysler	Aspen/Durango	0	0	0	0.0	0.0
Ford	Escape/Mariner	9,510	6.0	6,486	6.7	-31.8
Ford	Fusion/Milan	0	0.0	3,695	3.8	0.0
GM	Escalade	0	0.0	685	0.7	0.0
GM	Silverado/Sierra	0	0.0	347	0.4	0.0
GM	Tahoe/Yukon	589	0.4	2,319	2.4	293.7
Honda	Accord	184	0.1	1	0.0	-99.5
Honda	Civic	16,322	10.3	10,745	11.1	-34.2
Honda	Insight	0	0.0	5,445	5.6	0.0
Nissan	Altima	4,242	2.7	2,508	2.6	-40.9
Toyota	Camry	27,478	17.4	10,914	11.3	-60.3
Toyota	GS 450h	386	0.2	181	0.2	-53.1
Toyota	Highlander	11,542	7.3	5,261	5.4	-54.4
Toyota	LS600hL	564	0.4	126	0.1	-77.7
Toyota	Prius	79,677	50.4	42,753	44.2	-46.3
Toyota	RX 400h	7,708	4.9	5,271	5.4	-31.6
Total	...	158,202	...	96,737	...	-38.9

Nissan Altima Hybrid sales seem to be suffering, so we'll have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of years as Nissan brings out their own hybrid technology.  (The Altima Hybrid is built using the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive).  Lexus hybrid car sales are also suffering immensely.  Again, lower gas prices and the economy are probably the culprits here.

Related:
Hybrid Car Sales, April 2009
Hybrid Car Sales, May 2008

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