Ford hybrid sales stall
 

From today's Autobeat Daily

Re: Ford hybrid sales stall
 

Don't most auto sales slump Jan-Feb anyway? I thought late spring-summer was the meat of the buying season.

Re: Ford hybrid sales stall
 

I'm sorry to hear this but we always wondered why a minivan was not the follow-up hybrid electric. We had been watching the Toyota hybrid minivan, Estima, closely and several years ago, I sent an e-mail to Toyota America asking to be on the list.

Compared to an SUV:
- minivans can be used by businesses to haul stuff and make deliveries
- minivans attract 'value' buyers vs. 'muscle' owners
- minivans are entered horizontally versus 'climbing up' or 'squating down'
- more space for larger, batteries and EV only mode

As a general rule, minivans, all vans, maximize the volume and longest dimensions to weight ratio. Thus large sized loads can be protected from the weather. Only pickup trucks haul larger loads by sacrificing weather and security.

Now I can appreciate that hybrid SUVs and large luxury cars address the least fuel efficient vehicles. But I also associate SUV and luxury vehicle buyers with those having the least concern about fuel costs and efficiency. A hybrid hummer looks like an oxymoron gathering no respect.

One of my speculations is the thought of blue-printing a Prius engine-transaxle and installing it in a Scion xB or VW minivan. This would be a hybrid-electric, microvan with great utility and excellent efficiency. My wife and I could then go on camping-vacations and not think about the price of gas.

Bob Wilson

Re: Ford hybrid sales stall
 

A continuation of the story:
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Stor...oogle&keyword=

Re: Ford hybrid sales stall
 

Thats really sad for the ford article, I like the idea of a hybrid mini-van!
When Hybrids were first coming out there was talk of a hybrid 6cyl & 8cyl.
the 6 would get the same milage of a 4cyl & the 8 would get the same as a 6cyl.

lol I guess I'll be dead before that happens......:confused:

Ford tries to jump-start hybrid SUVs
 

Detroit News article about $1k rebate on FEH.

Re: Ford hybrid sales stall
 

That's surprising. I wonder if it's brand related. (Like all US cars aren't selling well.)

Re: Ford hybrid sales stall
 

On the positive side, hopefully the extra rebate will close the gap tightly on the "hybrid premium" and spur potential buyers who were either on the fence, or heading towards non-hybrid SUVs, to go ahead and purchase the FEH.

The FEH was the first hybrid SUV we test drove, and it was that test drive that convinced my fiancee to look at hybrids more closely, rather than just buy a non-hybrid SUV. But, as Pravis Prime alluded to, she balked at the Ford brand and the more masculine looks of the FEH, so we went with Toyota.

Rick

Re: Ford hybrid sales stall
 

I think it's more about name brand and February sales in general. Also, people have adjusted to the higher gas prices. If the prices go up again, you'll see a big jump in sales.

All hybrid sales are down the past few months, but I expect they'll pick up again soon.

Re: Ford hybrid sales stall
 

maybe a bunch of people have noticed that, unlike the prius, ford's hybrid does NOT drive the a/c electrically ... that would make a BIG difference to me as a potential buyer. penny-wise, pound-foolish, sales plummet.
+af

CNN: Ford rolls out cheap loans for hybrids
 

Re: CNN: Ford rolls out cheap loans for hybrids
 

Last September when I was shopping for a hybrid electric, Ford gave me a 'list price', $27 k, not a 'family priced' quote for their hybrid. I used it to qualify for a car loan at my Credit Union but was pretty unhappy with the list price. The local Toyota dealer was tacking on $4.5 k to the Prius list price, nearly the same price as the Escape. Instead, I bought a used Prius, $17 k, and laughed all the way to the bank.

Now I read that in two markets, not mine, Ford is trying to sell Escapes. What happened, did the local Toyota dealers stop marking up their new Prius prices?

Bob Wilson

Re: CNN: Ford rolls out cheap loans for hybrids
 

Northern VA, checking in. While the article states "Washington DC," I think the financing deal would have to include Northern VA dealerships. After all, that's where hybrids can use the HOV lanes.

When I bought my 05 Prius, last May, the dealership was not marking it up. However, there was only one on the lot, and there was someone literally standing behind me, ready to buy it, if I didn't.

Next door, at the Ford dealership, the FEH was marked-up $3500. That was a major part of my decision to buy a Prius. I have no idea if they're still marking them up. I can tell you I see a lot more HCHs and Priuses, than I do FEHs or HiHys.

Re: CNN: Ford rolls out cheap loans for hybrids
 

If we didn't have an '04 Escape, I'd be looking into getting an '06 FEH. I'd even be willing to fly to VA to get it at the 0%!

The only problem is, from what I've seen in the past, 0% usually means there are no/little markdowns from MSRP. So, sometimes it's better to get an interest rate with a lower purchase price than MSRP, since total financing charges could total less than MSRP.

I remember seeing the numbers for the same vehicle, one at 0% and the other at something like 6.9%. Since the one at 6.9% was being sold for several thousand dollars less than the 0% one, after 5 years of monthly payments, the vehicle with 6.9% was a couple thousand dollars cheaper overall than the one at 0%.