March 2011 Dashboard: Hybrid Car Sales Triple Increase of Auto Market

The HybridCars.com monthly sales dashboard is a collaboration of HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates, a Michigan-based market research firm focusing on automotive issues including the hybrid and electric vehicle market.

Hybrid sales leapt higher in March, growing by nearly 50 percent compared to February and compared to last March. The jump is impressive because it nearly tripled the 16.8 increase in overall auto sales compared to a year ago.

Strong sales of the Lexus CT 200h, in its first month of the market, helped boost hybrid car sales to near-record levels.

While the 34,082 hybrid car sales were not as high as the record 40,198 sales—in April 2008 during an historic run on gas prices—or as high as July and August 2009—during the Cash-for-Clunkers program, it is nonetheless a watershed month. That’s because the previous high sales months came during times of temporary government incentives, either in the form of tax credits or Cash-for-Clunkers rebates. This time around, it’s unassisted consumer demand for fuel efficiency during a time of high gas prices that’s driving sales. Furthermore, it appears that the geopolitics of oil could sustain high oil prices for an extended period of time.
In addition, the Lexus CT 200h launched with monthly sales of nearly 2,200 units, which is strong for a luxury vehicle with a starting price of $29,000. This new model immediately became the third most popular hybrid, behind the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. While the Insight and Honda CR-Z have not met Honda's goals, the CR-Z had its best month ever, and the Insight had its best month in the last year and a half.
Of course, the Prius continues to be a bellwether for the alternative vehicle market. Sales of the Prius have increased dramatically over the last several months, from about 10,500 in January to more than 13,500 in February and more than 18,500 in March. The March numbers were a whopping 58 percent higher than last year.
The importance of hybrid technology to Toyota is confirmed by Toyota's decision to prioritize production of the Prius and the Lexus CT200h over production of other vehicles in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. The availability of these Japanese-only produced vehicles may be problematic in coming months, and could push up transaction prices at the dealership.
Chevy Volt and Nisan LEAF sales are slowly turning up as availability starts to grow. With shipments of the Nissan LEAF—about 1,500 units in total—arriving in late March and early April, there should be a small spike of LEAF sales reported in the coming weeks. Yet, after that, supplies of the LEAF could be problematic as Nissan adjusts its production in the wake of the disaster. Chevy Volt sales should increase on a steadier basis.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI made a noteworthy jump of nearly 44 percent in March, as overall sales of clean diesel vehicles increased by more than 36 percent.
The dramatic percentage gain in hybrid sales is, of course, due to higher fuel prices, but it is also due to the general economic recovery, which makes people more comfortable buying non-traditional vehicles. Buyers are moving from the "have to buy" rationale to the "want to buy" rationale. Thus, the continuing recovery augurs well for the hybrid and electric vehicle market, which will be providing more products to choose and higher volume production in the coming months and years. For example, the sales numbers and market share will continue to grow with the coming release of the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the larger version of the Toyota Prius, the V model.

March 2011 Hybrid Car Sales Numbers

Hybrids sold in the US (March 2011): 34,082
Hybrid Take-Rate: 2.74%

US hybrid sales for March 2011

Model	Units	vs. last month	vs. March 2010	CYTD	vs. CYTD 2010
Toyota Prius	18,605	37.4%	57.9%	42,779	51.5%
Honda Insight	2,782	61.6%	68.4%	6,058	21.8%
Lexus CT 200h	2,199	n/a	n/a	2,199	n/a
Honda CR-Z	1,685	54.4%	n/a	3,670	n/a
Ford Fusion	1,466	6.3%	-12.2%	3,814	-4.6%
Lexus RX450h	1,438	43.9%	14.9%	3,349	6.3%
Toyota Camry	1,437	44.7%	-7.2%	3,290	-4.0%
Ford Escape	1,195	50.3%	2.3%	2,510	0.0%
Toy. Highlander	797	12.7%	34.2%	2,193	50.3%
Linc. MKZ Hybrid	615	55.7%	n/a	1,380	n/a
Altima	545	48.9%	38.3%	1,276	-38.4%
Honda Civic	441	-17.1%	-23.8%	1,626	38.0%
Lexus HS 250h	230	25.7%	-84.6%	699	-79.8%
Cad. Escalade	127	47.7%	3.3%	312	-2.8%
Porsche Cayenne	114	-19.7%	n/a	467	n/a
Chevy Silverado	94	100.0%	-18.3%	333	45.4%
GMC Yukon	81	35.0%	-31.4%	193	-30.3%
Chevy Tahoe	70	55.6%	-44.9%	181	-50.1%
BMW Hybrid 7	38	8.6%	n/a	105	n/a
Mazda Tribute	34	-8.1%	-42.4%	107	-25.7%
GMC Sierra	26	30.0%	-60.0%	67	-56.5%
Mercedes S400	25	4.2%	-74.5%	75	-70.2%
Lexus GS450h	24	-27.3%	-22.6%	76	-19.1%
Lexus LS600hL	9	28.6%	0.0%	24	-27.3%
BMW X6	5	-44.4%	-76.2%	19	-70.3%
Chevy Malibu Hybrid	0	-100.0%	-100.0%	5	-97.7
Mercedes ML450	0	-100.0%	-100.0%	1	-99.5
All hybrids	34,082	46.5%	46.4%	76,808	33.9
All vehicles	1,241,951	25.5%	16.8%	3,048,632	20.1%

March 2011 Plug-in Electric Car Sales Numbers

Plug-in cars sold in the US (March 2011): 906
Plug-in Take-Rate: 0.07%

US plug-in electric sales for March 2011

Model	Units	vs. last month	vs. March 2010	CYTD	vs. CYTD 2010
Chevrolet Volt	608	116.4%	n/a	1,210	n/a
Nissan LEAF	298	344.8%	n/a	452	n/a
Smart ED	0	100.0%	n/a	32	n/a
All plug-in cars	906	146.9%	n/a	1,694	n/a
All vehicles	1,241,951	25.5%	16.8%	3,048,632	20.1%

March 2011 Clean Diesel Car Sales Numbers

Clean Diesels sold in the US (March 2011): 8,339
Diesel Take-Rate: 0.67%

US clean diesel sales for March 2011

Model	Units	vs. last month	vs. March 2010	CYTD	vs. CYTD 2010
VW Jetta	4,753	39.6%	43.9%	11,095	44.9%
Volkswagen Golf	888	42.3%	81.6%	2,090	106.9%
BMW X5	554	3.0%	-25.7%	1,735	-19.5%
Mercedes GL320	426	11.8%	50.5%	1,086	82.8%
Audi Q7	373	8.7%	68.8%	1,026	68.5%
BMW 335d	291	0.3%	18.8%	741	33.8%
Mercedes ML320	291	42.0%	39.2%	771	106.7%
Audi A3	249	35.3%	-8.1%	904	20.1
Mercedes E320	248	53.1%	3,442.9%	632	2,079.3%
VW Touareg	202	14.8%	-1.0%	548	7.9%
Mercedes R320	64	113.3%	236.8%	137	71.3%
Jeep Gr Cherokee	-	n/a	100.0%	152	-52.2%
All clean diesels	8,339	31.6%	36.3%	20,917	42.9%
All vehicles	1,241,951	25.5%	16.8%	3,048,632	20.1%