Hybrid Car Sales, August 2008

Hybrid car sales were down 1% for August, as sales have stayed consistent over the past three months.  Toyota, Honda, Ford, GM and Nissan combined to sell 25,214 units in August.  But even though sales fell slightly, the problem isn't from demand.  Simply put, they've been selling out, especially the Prius.  The car makers can't keep up with the demand caused by high gas prices.

Toyota sold 5% fewer hybrids compared to last August.  But they still dominated the marketplace, with 3 out of every 4 hybrids sold came with a Toyota or Lexus badge.

Honda increased sales by almost 31%, almost entirely by making more hybrid Civics.  2 Accord Hybrids were sold, but the Accord hybrid has been retired and inventory is being cleared out.  Honda has announced they will be selling a new dedicated hybrid, and it will be called the Insight.  Named after the two-seater hybrid Honda retired, the new hybrid will not have a gas-only counterpart.  And it's easy enough to see why Honda wants to build a five seat hatchback to compete with the Prius.  Just look at the percentage of hybrid cars sold and you see it's dominated by the Prius.

Nissan still limits sales of its hybrid Altima to just eight states.  Hopefully in 2010 when they expand their inventory and build their hybrids using their own technology, they will increase their sales regions.

Ford hybrid sales dropped 27%, although the Ford Escape was a small bright spot for the dismal month Ford had.  GM increased sales on their hybrid Tahoe and Yukon, while introducing the Hybrid Escalade to the mix.

Make	Model	Aug-07	Aug-08	% Change
Honda	Accord	275	2	-99%
Honda	Civic	2,102	3,105	48%
Honda	Insight	0	0	-
Toyota	Prius	14,055	13,463	-4%
Toyota	Highlander	378	1,227	225%
Toyota	Camry	4,284	3,456	-19%
Toyota	GS 450h	397	35	-91%
Toyota	RX 400h	1,172	1,277	9%
Toyota	LS600hL	267	71	-73%
Ford	Escape/Mariner	1,833	1,338	-27%
Nissan	Altima	643	442	-31%
GM	Yukon/Tahoe	0	797	-
GM	Escalade	0	1	-
Total		25,406	25,213	-1%
Make	Model	Cumulative, 2007	Cumulative, 2008	% Change
Honda	Accord	2,579	196	-92%
Honda	Civic	21,736	25,577	18%
Honda	Insight	3	0	-100%
Toyota	Prius	124,620	119,690	-4%
Toyota	Highlander	15,895	15,651	-2%
Toyota	Camry	36,683	36,633	0%
Toyota	GS 450h	1,533	534	-65%
Toyota	RX 400h	11,214	11,754	5%
Toyota	LS600hL	267	791	196%
Ford	Escape/Mariner	16,883	14,025	-17%
Nissan	Altima	4,550	6,732	48%
GM	Yukon/Tahoe	-	2,284	-
GM	Escalade	-	1	-
Total		235,963	233,867	-1%