The international popularity of green cars has been reaffirmed in Australia, where demand for hybrid cars is surpassing supply.
Around 3,000 petrol/electric cars and SUVs have been sold in the country so far this year, with the Honda Civic emerging as a legitimate challenger to the Toyota Prius’s green throne.
The vehicle is priced at just $32,990 – which is around $5,000 less than the cheapest Prius model. Around 603 Civics have been sold in Australia so far this year – which is an increase from 501 in the same period in 2007. In June, the Civic actually out-sold the Prius for the first time in the private sector.
Much of the Civic’s success is attributed to the fact that it looks like a traditional petrol saloon car. However, with increased demand in America most of the production has been taken to US soil.
Unfortunately for Australian green car enthusiasts, the Honda natural-gas powered Civic, dubbed the world’s cleanest combustion engine, is unlikely to make it to the country due to the lack of refuelling infrastructure. By contrast, in the US it sells with a home refuelling station plumbed into homes.
