Car Crash: Prius Sees Largest Drop-off in Demand

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Car Crash: Prius Sees Largest Drop-off in Demand

by Josh Loposer (Subscribe to Josh Loposer's posts)
Dec 3rd 2008 @ 4:00PM

Filed under: Cars and Transportation, News, Green by the Numbers

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Sure, everyone's jumping on the bandwagon to slam the US auto industry for not being tuned in to consumer demand, focusing on innovation, or joining the green movement. But according to last month's sales figures, the problem is not nearly so cut and dry. Of the 16 most popular cars and trucks in America, the one with the most dismal sales performance right now is without a doubt the Toyota Prius, with a 48.3% drop in demand from one year ago. Go figure.

Not only that, but after many were sounding the alarm bells saying that the full-sized pickup is dead, the top 2 best selling vehicles in the country are still the very American Ford F-150 and the Chevy Silverado. Hmm. Suffice it to say that the Big 3 might be in the worst shape of all automakers, but it's apparently a little less about their product than most people assume.

Looking at the big picture, times are really tough for the auto industry all around. By no means are the US automakers the only ones hurting right now. Still, if fuel-efficient, eco-friendly whips were really what the public wanted to buy, shouldn't they be gaining market share right now? Go figure.

Plummeting oil prices may be partly to blame for the sagging demand for the Prius, but I don't think anyone feels all that gas prices are going to stay at current levels for long. Were we all wrong in predicting a steady increase in popularity for eco-rides? Or is this just a temporary situation resulting from the credit crunch?

[via Treehugger]

Comments [5]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-03-2008 @ 4:20PM

Matt Peckham said...

duh. With the economic crunch hitting the target market for the Prius pretty hard, I would think that sales of the more expensive Prius (vs similar efficient vehicles) has probably taken it's toll. With the end of the year also comes intrigue about new offerings from Ford, Honda and other makes. While this may not explain it, I would imagine the general loss in personal wealth has a lot to do with the clientele that the Prius caters to. This is not an economy car.

12-03-2008 @ 4:34PM

Josh said...

2008 Prius starting MSRP $21,500-$23,770
2008 Malibu starting MSRP $19,900-$27,092

12-03-2008 @ 8:13PM

Jeff said...

I dont think the numbers Josh posted, regarding MSRP, accounts for the fact that GM has had employee pricing going on. Which may also contribute to why Ford and GM has seen less dismal sales. If i am in the market for a vehicle, my first stop would probably be Ford or GM, because of the employee discounts. Just a thought.

12-03-2008 @ 8:13PM

Jeff said...

I don't think the numbers Josh posted, regarding MSRP, accounts for the fact that GM has had employee pricing going on. Which may also contribute to why Ford and GM has seen less dismal sales. If i am in the market for a vehicle, more so a truck, my first stop would probably be Ford or GM, because of the employee discounts, which then gives another reason to less dismal sales. Just a thought.

12-04-2008 @ 1:19AM

Chris V said...

All the cool new green vehicles are coming out in 2010. The Mitsubishi's iMiev all electric is coming in 2010. Nissan is coming with an all electric car in 2010. The GM Volt is coming in 2010.

People could just be waiting until greener options are available. I am.

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