Hybrids in trouble?

[mikesride]

I am not passing judgment on whether these cars are the solution or a waste. It looks to me that our market at least might not be ready for them.
The very last line, is very telling.


.Lexus silently kills off hybrid
May 18, 2012 , by Nicholas Maronese

. .HS250h production stopped January, Lexus tells no one
Newspapers and blogs tend to make a fuss when a car model gets killed off, but nobody cried when production of the Lexus HS250h hybrid was stopped early this year.

Because no one knew about it.

The car is still being sold in dealerships across the U.S. and Canada (starting price: $40,850) but the premium automaker quietly closed down its assembly line this past January.

The luxury hybrid sedan, the first Lexus had designed as a hybrid-only from the ground up, was canned due to failing sales, reports Edmund's Inside Line.

From its peak in 2010, when Lexus moved over 10,000 HS250h sedans in the U.S., sales had fallen almost 75 percent to just over 2,800 last year.

In Canada, 2010 sales topped out at 746, dropping 59 percent to 308 in 2011. They've sold 77 here this year so far.

The incoming ES300h hybrid sedan, due in Lexus showrooms this summer, isn't a replacement for the HS250h, either, the automaker told Edmund's.

The Lexus HS250h turned out 5.6 and 5.9 L/100 km in the city and on the highway, respectively, out of a 147-horsepower 2.4-litre four paired to an electric motor.

The new, yet-to-be-priced ES300h has a little more power but is expected to deliver even better fuel economy.

(Edmund's Inside Line)

HS250h production stopped January, Lexus tells no oneNewspapers and blogs tend to make a fuss when a car model gets killed off, but nobody cried when production of the Lexus HS250h hybrid was stopped early this year.

Because no one knew about it.

The car is still being sold in dealerships across the U.S. and Canada (starting price: $40,850) but the premium automaker quietly closed down its assembly line this past January.

The luxury hybrid sedan, the first Lexus had designed as a hybrid-only from the ground up, was canned due to failing sales, reports Edmund's Inside Line.

From its peak in 2010, when Lexus moved over 10,000 HS250h sedans in the U.S., sales had fallen almost 75 percent to just over 2,800 last year.

In Canada, 2010 sales topped out at 746, dropping 59 percent to 308 in 2011. They've sold 77 here this year so far.

The incoming ES300h hybrid sedan, due in Lexus showrooms this summer, isn't a replacement for the HS250h, either, the automaker told Edmund's.

The Lexus HS250h turned out 5.6 and 5.9 L/100 km in the city and on the highway, respectively, out of a 147-horsepower 2.4-litre four paired to an electric motor.

The new, yet-to-be-priced ES300h has a little more power but is expected to deliver even better fuel economy.

(Edmund's Inside Line)

.

[island911]

survey sez; most people who own hybrids won't buy again.

[romad]

Starting to get in to high mileage. The repair cost and service availability is wanting.

apparently people were not banking the money they saved on gas. Funny thing about "true cost"....it means nothing when you are presented with a bill that needs to be pay now.

[vash]

the smaller hatchback lexus hybrid is pretty nice. i cant remember the model number.

me? my wife wants one..a hybrid. whatever..i will push hard for a Jetta TDi wagon when the time comes. in the end, it will be her decision.

i joke that that opens up some carbon footprint credits for our family. i can go bigger and browner.

[HardDrive]

Friends of our just got rid of their Toyota Highlander hybrid, and paid quite a bit of $$$ just to see it gone. They hated it. Constant issues with it not starting. Dealerships were clueless.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Wasn't that one basically a Prius with a Lexus badge and a big price tag?

Many new economy cars get 40 MPG highway and are also amusing to drive. Hybrids cost more, aren't fun, and get a little bit better MPG. If you look at the ROI for most hybrids it is pretty sad, maybe consumers are over the hype?

[RWebb]

the Muskmobile company is doing quite well and growing

[pharlap71]

I was just reding about Porsche's 918 Spyder due out by end of 2013, 570 hp V8, and 200 more hp in electric motors for a 770 hp hybrid.

[Dottore]

Peugot has just introduced the first diesel hybrid into the European market.

[jyl]

Hybrid sales are growing far faster than the overall US car market.

Through March: in January hybrids sales in the US grew +11% year-over-year, February +55%, March +40%, April +55%.

Some models are doing very well. In April Toyota's hybrid sales grew +125% year over year, driven by the Prius family.

Some models aren't selling enough to bother. Lexus (all hybrid models) is only selling about 2,000 units/month.

Some are still too early to say. Chevy Volt got up to 1,700/month, about the same as the plug-in Prius by the way.

Diesel passenger car sales are up strongly too, about as much as hybrids in year-over-year growth rate. But there are still 3 hybrids sold for 1 diesel. I'm not sure why, but the US consumer isn't getting behind diesels yet. Well, even hybrids are only 3% to 4% of the car market. On the positive side, there is a lot of room for US auto fuel consumption to decline.

Here's data
April 2012 Sales Dashboard of Hybrid, Diesel and Electric cars « Elon Musk Founder of Tesla

[jyl]

By the way, none of the Lexus hybrids are rebadged Priuses.

The problem with the Lexus hybrids and many other luxury/SUV hybrids, in my view, is that they are the same heavy gas-guzzling car with a minimal hybrid capability grafted in.

The Prius - and some of the other hybrids emerging now - was designed from the ground up as a hybrid with fuel economy a top priority.

[RWebb]

thx, I didn't know the plug-in Prius was even available yet


on a related note, I am seeing more Nissan Leafs (BEV) around my burg

[Flieger]

Lots of leaves in San Luis Obispo. Haven't been run over by one -- yet.

[red-beard]

Green Car Congress: Polk: 35% of hybrid owners buying hybrids again

I expect John is right, the dedicated Hybrids are doing OK. It is the Hybrid Pickups and SUVs or luxury cars with a hybrid drive train dumped in thatt are in trouble.

The real view should be total cost of ownership. Cost to buy, plus cost to finance, plus cost to maintain and cost to operate, minus sale price at the end. I think the cost to buy and the cost of maintenance are much higher and are not offset by the cost to operate.

To me, a Toyota Yaris or a Honda Fit (Polo to the Europeans) will be much more cost effective.

[wdfifteen]

Lexus drops a hybrid sedan and is expected to introduce a new one this summer.
It may be wishful thinking on the part of some. I don't see how this means hybrids are in trouble.

[algs911]

Call me crazy, but who wants to start a business by which we strip the batts and electric motors out of the old hybrids and turn them in to regular cars? Perhaps stripping these cars of their 600 pounds of batts (or whatever) would allow the gasoline engines to be more efficient?

Just a thought!

Al

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by island911

survey sez; most people who own hybrids won't buy again.

The caveat in the LA Times survey said, "If you factor out the super-loyal Toyota Prius buyers......" According to the numbers, sales of Prius vehicles outnumber any other hybrid car attempts.

Could be the Prius is a better hybrid than other econ. cars. Same way a Porsche is a better GT car than a Dodge Viper, Nissan GT-R. Ferrari, etc.

Sherwood

[onewhippedpuppy]

Nearly every other hybrid is a version of an existing car. The Prius is one of the few designed from scratch to be a hybrid. It stands to reason that there might be fewer compromises with the Prius. Plus, it has that "green" image.

[mossguy]

Originally Posted by vash

the smaller hatchback lexus hybrid is pretty nice. i cant remember the model number.

This One?:

[mikeesik]

My Buddy who is a -CAB DRIVER- swears by his allegience to the car. 2010 Toyo- Camry. What the hell does camry mean anyway?