In February, interest in hybrid cars had grown 4%, but in March, interest jumped to 8%, marking "a significant increase," according to Scott Upham, Harris Interactive's senior vice president of automotive research.
At the same, interest in diesel vehicles declined. According to analysts affiliated with the report, smart marketing, particularly by Toyota, has made hybrid cars more "sexy" than diesels.
Additionally, the report noted that higher gas prices have also diminished interest in diesels. Moreover, if gas prices continue to rise, and climb over $3.00, consumers have expressed strong intentions to move to the most efficient vehicles available.
Already, sales of larger SUVs and trucks are declining, and higher gas prices might even push many consumers out of smaller SUVs, spurring hybrid interest even further.
According to new reports, such as from the IMF, the world's oil problems are only going to increase, as demand is set to continue to outpace supply
In addition, if any event,
natural or otherwise, should temporarily disrupt oil supply,
prices could sky-rocket to unbelievable heights.
More on hybrid
cars.
