Something didn't seem right so I went to the original sources to understand what they were saying. Funnily enough, it is time to put your hair out, the original 'quote' doesn't seem to match the
Ad Age article:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Ad Age
. . .
Ad Age: What's happening with hybrids?
Mr. Carter: Our volume on Prius was up 67% last year. That was a supply-restricted 67% increase. That's 181,000 cars. We can't repeat that, no way, even though the demand may be there. We just can't keep up. So you will see much more moderate growth because of the supply.(Emphasis RJW) The company has nearly 80% of the hybrid market. There are a lot of viable competitors out there. I don't necessarily view it as what's been our competition in the past, but what's going to be our competition in the future. GM is introducing theirs, and you're going to see more activity out of the Asian manufacturers. What everybody continues to work on is not only hybrid, but what other technologies can deliver the environmental, miles-per-gallon benefits. We are very committed to hybrids but it's not our position that hybrid is the solution to the future. We're looking at high-efficiency gasoline, clean diesel, fuel cells and the plug-in hybrid.
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He was talking about the "increase" not the absolute sales. So let's take a look at what the January sales looked like:
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/janua...dashboard.html
Quote:
January is usually not a big month for car sales. This year, the New Year doldrums hit hybrids as well as the larger car market. Sales of all vehicles—hybrids included—were down by approximately 25 percent compared to December. But if we compare this month to January of last year, a familiar trend emerges: hybrid sales grew by 25 percent while the overall market declined slightly.
. . .
Exactly where the economy is headed, and the impact the general economic climate has on hybrid shoppers, remains to be seen. So far, year-over-year sales performance hints that some hybrid models may be recession-proof. The Toyota Prius, for example, grew 37 percent compared with last January—not bad for a four-year-old model that is nearing its next redesign. Other well-established and generally fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles—Camry, Highlander, and Escape—also seem less affected by recessionary pressures. But less fuel efficient models, such as those from Lexus, took a beating this month, indicating that hybrid and luxury are not a winning combination particularly in a lagging economy.
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So here are the January 2008 sales facts and data:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by jan08-hybrid-market-dashboard.pdf
All hybrids: 22,411 ... -27.5% (12/07) ... 24.9% (01/08)
All vehicles: 1,059,367 ... -28.8% (12/07) ... -2.9% (01/08)
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Let's see, compared to all vehicles, hybrids took a smaller beating compared to last month, December. Compared to the previous year's January sales, they are doing quite nice.
In contrast, we these sections that bear no relationship to ordinary reality when compared to the original sources:
Quote:
Originally Posted by empowah
Quote:
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Originally Posted by original
Toyota says hybrid sales will be lower in 2008 than 2007, not because people don't want them, but because Toyota simply can't make any more. Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota Division, told Ad Age, that Toyota sold 181,000 Priuses in 2007 and that's simply the best they can do right now: "We can't repeat that [181,000 Prius sold in a year], no way, even though the demand may be there. We just can't keep up. So you will see much more moderate growth because of the supply," Carter said.
Carter then added something ominous: " We are very committed to hybrids but it's not our position that hybrid is the solution to the future." He continues with, "We're looking at high-efficiency gasoline, clean diesel, fuel cells and the plug-in hybrid (bald-face fantasy not in the Ad Age article rjw)" which is a little more comforting. Toyota has said battery production is a hurdle for the introduction of plug-in cars. Batteries may be keeping more hybrids from reaching customers as well. Carter (and Toyota's Jaycie Chitwood) described Toyota's plans in great depth with ABG recently.
So, Toyota, the #1 maker of hybrids is saying that, while there is hybrid demand, they have reached the limit of production. For everyone who wonders why hybrid market penetration can't go above a certain percentage of car sales, there's your reason. We've done your part and driven up demand, but apparently more work needs to be done to be able to make more hybrids.
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Source: AutoblogGreen
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Sorry but I hate seeing someone make stuff up or quote out of context. Not only did the original quote depart from reality but it also included a bunch of editorial stuff having nothing to do with reality.
Folks, this is just material quoted from a hybrid-skeptic. In this particular case, especially clueless since the source material is readily available.
Bob Wilson