Why it Pays to Have the Best Hybrid on the Road

Toyota sells more hybrids than any other manufacturer. Three out of every four hybrids being sold today are from Toyota/Lexus. Over 10% of the cars sold by Toyota are hybrids. Toyota is charging ahead to become the number one car company in America, and is doing it behind the strength of its hybrid vehicles.

And the Prius is the lynch-pin of their hybrid vehicle line-up. One out of every two hybrids sold today are Prius. It's the third most popular car from Toyota (behind the Camry and Corolla). The Prius is the most satisfying to own.

But that's not all the Prius is doing for Toyota. Because it's the best hybrid car on the road today, practically synonymous with the word hybrid, it's making converts. According to PIN Insights, almost three out of every four trade-ins (72.2%) for the Prius are from non-Toyota vehicles. That's about 10 points higher than the average for Toyota. In other words, it has broad appeal across most U.S. drivers.

According to the PIN article

Prius’s strong sales volume and broad appeal suggest that future unique hybrids have the potential to resonate with consumers more than hybrid derivatives of mainstream models.

But I don't agree with that at all. The Insight was a 'unique' hybrid, but never did all that well. No, what appeals across the spectrum of drivers is the high fuel economy at a relatively low price, while still being big enough to be a practical choice most days.

It's quite simple really. Take a look at the most fuel efficient cars in the US and the Prius sits on top. It's not hard to figure out why that appeals to people.

And it's really not hard to figure out what kind of benefit Toyota is getting from selling the Prius.