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Sales
growth of hybrids slowing? So what?
Monday,
February 26, 2007
It's
an emerging technology, stupid
Boy! Why do hybrid
cars receive so much attention? I mean, if you are
interested in buying a hybrid car, I understand why you
would pay attention to hybrid issues. However, hybrid
vehicle sales are such a minuscule percent of overall
vehicle sales, there can't be that many potential buyers,
can there?
Well, maybe there can. Otherwise, why does any hybrid
story, such as the slowing of hybrid vehicle sales growth, seem
to dominate the headlines of much of the auto media?
Obviously, there has to be great interest in hybrids to
justify giving hybrid stories such importance.
So, so what if hybrid sales growth slowed last year? Hmmm. Isn't
the fact that gas prices skyrocketed and then dropped
along with Toyota tax credits a pretty logical explanation
for a slow down, especially when Toyota controls 75
percent of the hybrid market? To me, that's a non-story.
If hybrid sales hadn't slowed, that would have been a real
story.
Besides, the best of hybrids is yet to come. While high
gas prices can push some consumers off the fence and into
a hybrid, many consumers are simply waiting for the next
generation of hybrid vehicles. Witness the way the Chevy
Volt stole the show at NAIAS - a hybrid which is still
at least 3 years away from reality.
Current hybrid technology might not sell in leaps and
bounds, but it will still sell. The next generation of
hybrid technology; however, will create huge surges in
hybrid vehicle sales.
posted
by Dahcredyns at
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