The common misconception is that hybrid buyers are young and trendy. Based on surveys that HybridCars.com has tracked for a number of years, we know that hybrid drivers are actually older than the average car buyer. They are also more educated, more affluent, and more likely to live in California. A new study, just released from Scarborough Research, may shed light on lifestyle habits of hybrid drivers, such as diet, exercise, Internet use, and political affiliation.
The number of hybrid car sales in North America will double in the next three years, according to a new forecast presented by R.L. Polk & Company, a leading auto industry market research firm. The rate of growth in Western Europe will be even more dramatic—from one-half percent this year to 5 percent in 2012.
Nobody has questioned the importance of high gas prices to the rise of green cars, but one has to wonder: Just how many car shoppers out there are concerned enough about the environment that it factors into a purchase decision? According to a study by Kelley Blue Book's market research division, the answer is "quite a few."
If the US automobile industry ramps up its efforts to produce eco-friendly vehicles for the mass market, it could cut the nation’s gas consumption by 30 to 50 percent by 2035. That’s according to a new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But the study also asserts that the mentality of car consumers will need to change.
Now that gas prices are sliding back down, one national survey found that car buyers already are rethinking their new obsession with high-mileage little cars. Edmunds.com research found that in July truck owners dramatically reduced the extent to which they cross-shopped in the other major vehicle segments—cars, crossovers and hybrids—compared with June. SUV owners were also fickle, but to a lesser extent.
If you were to visualize the most enthusiastic supporter of the much-touted Chevrolet Volt—someone who rallies thousands on its behalf, who blogs daily, whose influence and prestige garners invites to speak with top GM brass—what would that person look like? Probably not Lyle Dennis, a mild-mannered suburban neurologist from New Jersey.
Lotus, the British performance carmaker, Lotus, has introduced a new device that makes hybrid cars louder. Since hybrid cars first hit the market, concerns have been raised about the potential risk who may not hear hybrids in a cross-walk.
Consumers considering a hybrid vehicle are now a majority, according to a survey released today by JD Power and Associates. The number jumped to 62 percent this year, from an even 50 percent in the same survey last year. The reason? For 7 out of 10 respondents, it was “lower fuel costs” or “better fuel economy.” And what about “being better for the environment?" Just 16 percent said that was why they’d pick a hybrid.
After a Hillary Clinton supporter refered to Barack Obama supporters as "latte-drinking, Prius-driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies," Ethan, from Urbanspoon.com, wondered whether there was a statistical correlation between a voter's tastes in cars, footwear and caffeinated beverages, and their taste in Democratic Presidential candidates. So are hybrid car owners actually more likely to vote for Obama?
According to the latest forecast by J.D. Power and Associates, sales of hybrid and diesel-powered cars will more than triple by 2015. The new forecast includes specific numbers for the Chevy Volt, beginning with 11,059 sales in 2010 and growing to 70,000 units by 2014.
