Hybrid futures

The auto executives are starting to see the light in regards to the bright future of hybrids. But hybrids are only about 1% of the market, so it's not surprising that they would expect that market share to increase, especially with the plans of American car makers to produce hybrids in the next year, as opposed to just the foreign markets.

With the continuing high costs related to driving luxury vehicles, the SUV market is expected to decrease or stay the same in the coming year.

deseretnews.com | Auto execs see hybrids' bright future

Eighty-eight percent of the executives said they expect gas-electric hybrids to gain market share, up from 74 percent in 2004. Seventy-nine percent said they expect low-cost cars to gain share. Just 35 percent expect the luxury market to grow — compared to 48 percent two years ago — while 36 percent expect SUVs will gain market share.
There were some differences by region. More than half of the Asian and European executives surveyed predicted growth for SUVs, compared to just 6 percent of North American executives. North American executives were the least optimistic about luxury growth, while Asians were the only executives to predict much growth in the pickup segment.
The survey, by the auditing and consulting firm KPMG LLP, collected responses from 140 senior executives at 35 vehicle manufacturers and 105 suppliers. The sixth annual survey was distributed to 50 executives in North America, 50 in Europe and 40 in Asia in the fall of 2005.