More hybrids leaving sales lots, but $$ saved still in neutral
They started as a curiosity.
Some were egg-shaped, some had only three doors, and all of them drew points and stares and look-at-thats as they quietly hummed along suburban roads.
The buyers were mostly environmentally conscious and well-educated, often with a master’s degree-plus, said Scott Pundt, vice president of Dorschel Automotive in Rochester, and the general public didn’t take much notice. Hybrid cars were just toys for scientists and professors.
But movies such as An Inconvenient Truth and Fast Food Nation gave the green movement a violent shove into the mainstream and, soon after, gas prices shot to record highs, peaking at $4.25 per gallon in the Rochester area last July. Suddenly, hybrids weren’t just for tree-huggers anymore.
“This is the third-generation (Toyota) Prius, and to categorize the buyers now would be unfair to the car, because it appeals to a much broader group,” said Pundt. “The demographics are all over the board. You’ve got all ages and genders.”
From January through May of 2003, Dorschel Toyota sold 45 hybrids, all of them Priuses.
From January through May of this year, the dealer sold 100 Priuses, as well as a handful of Camry and Highlander hybrids.
“The average American consumer’s definition of what they want out of a vehicle is changing,” said George Cook, professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Rochester’s William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration. “We used to look for style, design and prestige, and now we look for economy, reliability and price.”
The hybrid has entered the second stage of the traditional four-stage product lifecycle (introduction, growth, maturity and decline), said Cook.
Sales are increasing. Buoyed by the green movement, public awareness is, too.
But today’s tough economy has many people thinking of their pocketbooks first and the environment second. So, can hybrid cars save you money?
Research conducted by the Democrat and Chronicle compared three of today’s most popular hybrids — the Toyota Prius, the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Ford Escape Hybrid — with their non-hybrid equivalents, and the short answer is: not yet.
There are a few economic factors working in the hybrids’ favor. As the market for new hybrid cars continues to increase, so will the used market. The ability to drive a car for five years and then sell it at a reasonable price without much effort takes a lot of risk out of the purchase.
Secondly, the price of gas over the last two years has been volatile, to say the least. Another spike would mean a rise in the value of fuel-efficient vehicles.
And, of course, a hybrid gives the owner the added convenience of stopping for gas less often, as well as that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with doing something environmentally sound.
But at today’s gas prices, even the best performer, the Toyota Prius, would require more than 180,000 miles of driving to make up the initial purchase cost when compared with a Toyota Corolla.
Below is a listing of each car’s manufacturer’s suggested retail price, fuel economy and “break-even” point, which is the number of miles you’d have to drive before the hybrid makes up its higher sticker cost in savings at the pump.
For simplicity’s sake, we’ve used the combined city and highway mileage in our calculations. If you’re planning on doing mostly city driving — especially if you’re looking at a Toyota Prius or Ford Escape Hybrid — the break-even point would come a bit sooner. On the flip side, if your driving habits take you on the highway more often than not, then a hybrid becomes less practical.
Also, every car listed here is the skin-and-bones model. No sunroofs, no leather seats, no global positioning systems and manual transmission when possible.
After all, the goal here is saving money.
SDOBBIN@DemocratandChronicle.com
Future of hybrids
Click to listen to George Cook
2010 Toyota Prius vs. 2010 Toyota Corolla
The Prius is the only hybrid of the three that does not have a distinct non-hybrid equivalent, but the Corolla is a pretty close match. While the two vehicles are classified differently — the Corolla is listed as a compact car and the Prius is considered mid-size — they both seat five people and have similar dimensions and interior passenger space. The hatchback Prius does have a significant advantage in cargo space, however, with almost twice as much room in the trunk, and of our three comparisons, the Prius takes the least amount of driving to pay you back.
MSRP:
Prius: $22,000.
Corolla: $15,350.
Fuel economy:
Prius: 51 mpg city, 48 mpg highway, 50 mpg combined.
Corolla: 27 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, 30 mpg combined.
“Break-even” point:
$2 per gallon: 249,375 miles.
$2.75: 181,364 miles.
$3: 166,250 miles.
$4: 124,688 miles.
$5: 99,750 miles.
2009 Honda Civic Hybrid vs. 2009 Honda Civic
The Honda Civic Hybrid doesn’t boast the same fuel economy as the Prius does, though you can still travel more than 500 miles on a single tank.
However, an $8,150 disparity in sticker price compared with its non-hybrid equivalent does push the break-even point to near-unreachable levels.
This one’s probably for Honda loyalists who are willing to pay something extra to help out the environment.
MSRP:
Civic Hybrid: $23,650.
Civic DX: $15,505.
Fuel economy:
Civic Hybrid: 40 mpg city, 45 mpg highway, 42 mpg combined.
Civic DX: 25 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, 29 mpg combined.
“Break-even” point:
$2 per gallon: 381,562 miles.
$2.75: 277,500 miles.
$3: 254,375 miles.
$4: 190,781 miles.
$5: 152,625 miles.
2009 Ford Escape Hybrid vs. 2009 Ford Escape
US News & World Report ranked the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid as the No. 1 most affordable compact SUV, so it’s perfect for our purposes. Like the Prius, its heavy emphasis on battery technology pushes its city mileage ahead of its highway mileage, as it possesses a 14-miles-per-gallon advantage over its non-hybrid equivalent. Additionally, buyers are eligible for a $1,500 tax credit if they purchase by Oct. 1; the break-even point assumes the tax credit is redeemed.
MSRP:
Escape Hybrid: $29,645. ($1,500 tax credit if purchased by Oct. 1.)
Escape XLS: $21,645.
Fuel economy:
Escape Hybrid: 34 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, 32 mpg combined.
Escape XLS: 20 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, 24 mpg combined.
“Break-even” point:
$2 per gallon: 312,000 miles.
$2.75: 226,909 miles.
$3: 208,000 miles.
$4: 156,000 miles.
$5: 124,800 miles.
