Sales of hybrid cars in the US are plummeting, the Financial Times reports this morning.
According to the newspaper, sales of all hybrid models have been suffering in recent times due to the weak economy in the States and an improvement in the fuel economy of non-hybrid rival models.
The most popular hybrid model in the country remains the Toyota Prius, but its sales have contracted this year-9.4 per cent down in the first 10 months of this year than in January to October 2010. By contrast, overall light-vehicle sales rose 10 per cent.
The effect of reduced interest in hybrids is even more marked in other models, the paper reports that Ford’s Fusion hybrid model has seen its sales shrink by half.
“The hybrid market is in a free fall this month,” said a spokesperson for the used car data service, Kelley Blue Book.
Interest in hybrids listed on Kelley’s website dropped by more than half in October. However, experts reckon the squeeze will be temporary, as the economy recovers. The arrival of new models such as the range-extended Chevrolet Volt is also thought to be impacting on the sales of traditional hybrids.
Full article available here: FT.com.
