Hybrid electric vehicles in the United States

The fleet of hybrid electric vehicles in the United States, with 8.5 million units sold through December 2023,[3] is the second largest in the world after Japan.[4] American sales of hybrid electric vehicles represented about 36% of the global stock of hybrids sold worldwide through April 2016.[5]

Comparison of annual sales of passenger hybrid electric and plug-in electric vehicles in the U.S. through 2023.[1][2]

Sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. began to decline following the financial crisis of 2007–08, and after a short recovery, reached its peak in 2013 with almost 500,000 units sold and a record market share of 3.19%, but began to decline again in 2014 due to low gasoline prices and increased sales of plug-in electric cars.[6][7][5] The market share slightly recovered in 2019 to 2.3%, and 3.2% in 2020.[2] Since their inception in 1999, a total of 5,803,917 hybrid electric automobiles and sport utility vehicles have been sold in the country through 2020.[2]

The top selling hybrid electric vehicle in the country is the conventional Toyota Prius, which has sold 1,643,000 units since 2000 through April 2016, representing a 40.8% market share of all hybrids sold in the U.S. since 1999.[5] Cumulative sales of the Prius nameplate totaled 1,932,805 units delivered through April 2016, representing a 48.0% market share of total hybrid sales in the U.S.[8][9][10][6][7][11][12]

California has been the state leading hybrid sales in the U.S.,[13][14][15] followed by New York and Florida.[13] In terms of new hybrids sold per capita, the District of Columbia was the leader.[13] From January to July 2013, the three cities with the highest electric drive car registrations, including hybrids, all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids, were all located in California: Atherton (19.4%) and Los Altos (16.1%) in the Silicon Valley, followed by Santa Monica (15.0%), located in Los Angeles County.[16][17]

Purchases from the Obama administration occurring for 25% of Ford and General Motors hybrid-electric vehicles sold between January 2009 and late 2010. During this period hybrids accounted for about 10% of the 145,473 vehicles bought by the U.S. General Services Administration.[18]

Markets and sales edit

 
HEV market share of new car sales in the U.S. between 1999 and 2023.[19][8][9][10][6][7][12][20][21]

The market of hybrid electric vehicles in the United States is the second largest in the world after Japan[5] with cumulative sales of 5.4 million units through December 2019.[21] American sales of hybrid electric vehicles represented about 36% of the stock of hybrids sold worldwide through April 2016.[5] Cumulative hybrid car sales in the American market passed the 1 million milestone in 2007, the 2 million mark in May 2011,[22] the 3 million milestone in October 2013,[23] and 4 million in April 2016, allowing the U.S. to rank as the world's second largest hybrid market after Japan.[5]

Sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. began to decline following the financial crisis of 2007–08, and after a short recovery, began to decline again in 2014 due to low gasoline prices, and had a small rebound in 2019.[5][7][21] Hybrid sales in the American market achieved its highest market share ever in 2013, capturing 3.19% of new carsales that year.[7][5] At the end of 2015 the hybrid take rate had fallen to 2.21%, dropped to 1.99% in 2016, slightly recovered to 2.4% in 2019.[5][11][21]

A total of 5,374,000 hybrid electric automobiles and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) have been sold in the country through December 2019.[21] Sales are led by the Toyota Prius, which passed the 1 million mark in April 2011,[24] and has sold 1,643,000 units since 2000 through April 2016, representing a 40.8% market share of all hybrids sold in the U.S. since their inception in 1999.[5] The Toyota Prius family is the market leader with 1,932,805 units sold through April 2016, representing a 48.0% market share of total hybrid sales in the U.S.[8][9][10][6][7][11][12] Out of the 9.0145 million hybrids sold worldwide by Toyota Motor Company through April 2016, the United States accounted for 44.7% of TMC global hybrid sales.[5][25]

 
The Toyota Prius is the top selling hybrid car in the U.S., with more than 1.6 million units sold since 2000 thru April 2016.[5][25]

Sales of Prius family vehicles in California represented 26% of all Prius purchases in the U.S. during 2012. With 60,688 units sold during this year, the Prius became the best selling nameplate in California, ahead of the previous leader, the Honda Civic (57,124 units) and the third ranked, the Toyota Camry (50,250 units).[26] Again in 2013, the Prius nameplate was the best selling vehicle in California with 69,728 units sold in the state, ahead of the Honda Civic (66,982) and the Honda Accord (63,194).[27][28] Nationwide, the best selling vehicle in 2013 was the Ford F-Series pickup, which has been the best selling vehicle for more than three decades.[29]

 
Historical trend of U.S. cumulative HEV sales from 1999 to 2014.[8][9][10][6][7]

As of April 2016, sales of the conventional Prius are followed by the Toyota Camry Hybrid, with 345,640 units sold since 2006, the Honda Civic Hybrid, with cumulative sales of 234,610 vehicles since 2002, the Ford Fusion Hybrid with 166,341 units since 2009, and the Toyota Prius c with 165,075 units since 2012.[5] Among the hybrids built by American manufacturers, the siblings Lincoln MKZ/Mercury Milan/Fusion Hybrids rank first, with combined sales of 200,899 units since 2009 through 2015, followed by the Ford Escape Hybrid and its sibling the Mercury Mariner Hybrid with combined sales of 130,803 vehicles between 2004 and 2012, when the hybrid lineup was discontinued. Ranking next is the Ford C-Max Hybrid, with 72,330 units sold since 2012 through 2015, and the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid with 38,204 units since 2008.[8][9][10][6][7][12]

2012

A total of 434,498 hybrid electric vehicles were sold during 2012, and the hybrid market share of total new car sales in the country was 3.0%, up from 2.1% in 2011.[10] The top five selling hybrids during 2012 were the Toyota Prius liftback (147,503), the second generation Camry Hybrid (45,626), Prius v (1,669), Prius c (35,733), and the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (20,754).[10] Toyota sold 223,905 Priuses among the various HEV family members in the U.S. in 2012, representing together a market share of 51.5% of all hybrid sold in the country that year.[10]

2013

During 2013 hybrid sales totaled 495,685 units, up 14.1% from 2012 and representing a market share of 3.19% of new car sales.[6] The top five selling hybrids during this period were the conventional Prius (145,172), second generation Camry Hybrid (44,448), Prius c (41,979), second generation Fusion Hybrid (37,270), and the Prius v (34,989).[6] Combined Prius family vehicles reached 222,140 units representing a market share of 44.8%, down from 51.5% in the year 2012,[10][6] while Ford Motor Company increased its market share of the conventional hybrid market from 7.5% in 2012 to 14.7% in 2013.[6][30]

 
Market share of U.S. top 10 selling HEV
models in 2014.[7]

Ford experienced record sales of its hybrids models in the U.S. during 2013, with 72,795 units sold, almost triple the 2012 total.[6][31] During the second quarter of 2013 Ford achieved its best hybrid sales quarter ever, up 517% over the same quarter of 2012.[32] In 2013 Toyota's hybrid market share in the U.S. declined from 2012 totals due to new competition, particularly from Ford with the arrival of new products such as the C-Max Hybrid and the new styling of the Fusion. Except for the Prius c, sales of the other models of the Prius family and the Camry Hybrid suffered a decline from 2012, while the Fusion Hybrid experienced a 164.3% increased from 2012, and C-Max Hybrid sales climbed 156.6%.[6]

2014

Hybrid sales totaled 452,152 units, down 8.8% from the previous year. The hybrid market share was 2.75% of new car sales, down from 3.19% in 2013, and the lowest since 2011. The best selling Prius Liftback was down 15.4% from 2013, driving the decline in sales of the segment.[7] The top five selling hybrids in 2014 were the conventional Prius (122,776), Prius c (40,570), second generation Camry Hybrid (39,515), second generation Fusion Hybrid (35,405), and the Prius v (30,762), all down from the previous year.[7] Combined Prius family vehicles reached 194,108 units representing a market share of 42.9%, down from 44.8% the previous year.[6][7] Some of the few models with a significant growth in their year-to-year sales were the second generation Honda Accord, Infinti Q50 Hybrid, Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and the Chevrolet Impala eAssist.[7]

Geographical distribution edit

 
Historical evolution of the market share of sales of hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in electric cars in California (2011-2023).

California has been the state leading hybrid sales in the U.S. with 55,553 vehicles sold in 2009,[13] 74,932 in 2008,[14] and 91,417 in 2007.[15] In 2009 it was followed by New York (15,438) and Florida (14,949).[13] In terms of new hybrids sold per capita, the District of Columbia was the leader in 2009 with 3.79 hybrids per 1000 residents, followed by California (1.54) and Washington (1.53).[13] The top 5 U. S. metropolitan area markets for sales of hybrid electric vehicles in 2009 were Los Angeles (26,677), New York (21,193), San Francisco (15,799), Washington, D.C. (11,595), and Chicago (8,990).[13] From January to July 2013, the three cities with the highest electric drive car registrations, including hybrids, all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids, were all located in California: Atherton (19.4%) and Los Altos (16.1%) in the Silicon Valley, followed by Santa Monica (15.0%), located in Los Angeles County.[16][17]

The top 5 U. S. metropolitan area markets for sales of hybrid electric vehicles in 2009 were Los Angeles (26,677), New York (21,193), San Francisco (15,799), Washington, D.C. (11,595), and Chicago (8,990).[13] The following table summarizes the top metropolitan area markets in terms of new hybrids sold per capita.

Top U.S. metropolitan markets for
hybrid electric vehicles in 2008-2009[13][33]
Rank
2009
Metropolitan
Area
New registered
hybrids
per 1000
households
(2009)
Rank
2008
Metropolitan
Area
New registered
hybrids
per 1000
households
(2008)
1 Portland, OR 8.8 1 Portland, OR 12.17
2 Helena, MT 6.7 2 San Francisco, CA 8.84
3 San Francisco, CA 6.7 3 Monterey, CA 7.16
4 Washington, DC 5.1 4 Santa Barbara, CA 6.94
5 Los Angeles, CA 4.8 5 San Diego, CA 6.57
6 San Diego, CA 4.7 6 Los Angeles, CA 6.08
7 Seattle, WA 4.7 7 Charlottesville, VA 5.42
8 Juneau, AK 4.6 8 Seattle, WA 4.90
9 Santa Barbara, CA 4.4 9 Washington, DC 4.85
10 Monterey, CA 4.3 10 Sacramento, CA 4.85
U.S. metropolitan area
average
1.8 U.S. metropolitan area
average
2.18

Considering hybrid sales between January 2010 through September 2011, the top selling metropolitan region was the San Francisco Bay Area, with 8.4% of all new cars sold during that period, followed by Monterey-Salinas with 6.9%, and Eugene, Oregon, with 6.1%. The following seven top selling markets are also on the West Coast, including Seattle-Tacoma and Los Angeles with 5.7%, San Diego with 5.6%, and Portland with 5.4%. The Washington D.C. Metro Area, with 4.2%, is the next best selling region out of the West Coast.[34]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Argonne National Laboratory - Light Duty Electric Drive Vehicles Monthly Sales Updates - Historical Data
  2. ^ a b c Stacy C. Davis; Robert G. Boundy (April 2021). "Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 39 (updated April 2021)" (PDF). Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved 2021-05-17. See Table 6.2: Hybrid and Plug-In Vehicle Sales, 1999-2020
  3. ^ Argonne National Laboratory - Light Duty Electric Drive Vehicles Monthly Sales Updates - Historical Data
  4. ^ "Hybrids account for nearly 20 percent of cars in Japan, automobile association says". The Japan Times. 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cobb, Jeff (2016-06-06). "Americans Buy Their Four-Millionth Hybrid Car". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Jeff Cobb (2015-01-06). "December 2013 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Jeff Cobb (2015-01-06). "December 2014 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  8. ^ a b c d e "U.S. HEV sales by Model (1999-2013)". Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicle Data Center (U.S. DoE). Retrieved 2015-01-18. Click on the graph to show sales by model and year total. Source: HybridCars.com)
  9. ^ a b c d e "December 2011 Dashboard: Sales Still Climbing". HybridCARS.com. 2012-01-09. Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Jeff Cobb (2013-04-22). "December 2012 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2013-09-10. See the section: December 2012 Hybrid Cars Numbers. A total of 434,498 hybrid electric vehicles were sold during 2012. Ford sold 32,543 hybrids in the U.S. during 2012, including 14,100 Ford Fusion Hybrids, 10,935 C-Max Hybrids, 6,067 Lincoln MKZ Hybrids, and 1,441 Ford Escape Hybrids.
  11. ^ a b c Cobb, Jeff (2016-05-04). "April 2016 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  12. ^ a b c d Cobb, Jeff (2016-01-06). "December 2015 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2016-06-05. Hybrid car sales totaled 384,404 units in 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i "December 2009 Dashboard: Year-End Tally". hybridCars.com. 2010-01-20. Archived from the original on 2010-01-22. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  14. ^ a b "February 2009 Hybrid Market Dashboard" (PDF). hybridCars.com. 2009-03-13. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
  15. ^ a b "February 2008 Hybrid Market Dashboard" (PDF). hybridCars.com. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
  16. ^ a b Greg Asciutto (2013-09-25). "Santa Monica a top city for electric vehicles". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
  17. ^ a b Jaclyn Trop (2013-09-20). "Santa Monica Bets on Electric Cars, but Consumers Are Slow to Switch". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
  18. ^ Scott Doggett (2010-11-23). "Obama Administration Buys Nearly 1 in 4 Hybrids as Consumer Market Slumps". Edmunds.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-28. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
  19. ^ Argonne National Laboratory - Light Duty Electric Drive Vehicles Monthly Sales Updates - Historical Data
  20. ^ Cobb, Jeff (2018-01-04). "December 2017 Dashboard". HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates. Retrieved 2018-02-03. Sales figures for 2016 and 2017 are reported.
  21. ^ a b c d e Stacy C. Davis & Robert G. Boundy (April 2020). "Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 38.1" (PDF). Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved 2020-05-14. See Tables 6.1 (annual sales of HEVs and PHEVs) 6.2 for 2018 and 2019 HEV market shares (the complete historical series from 1999 to 2019 is available)
  22. ^ Christie Schweinsberg (2011-06-07). "U.S. Hybrid Sales Hit 2 Million Mark". Ward's. Archived from the original on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  23. ^ Jeff Cobb (2013-11-04). "Americans Buy Their 3,000,000th Hybrid". HybridCars.com. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  24. ^ "Toyota sells One-Millionth Prius in the US". Green Car Congress. 2011-04-06. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
  25. ^ a b "Worldwide Sales of Toyota Hybrids Surpass 9 Million Units" (Press release). Toyota City, Japan: Toyota. 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  26. ^ Jerry Hirsch (2013-01-22). "Toyota Prius topples Honda Civic as bestselling car in California". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-01-22. The sales figure includes the Prius liftback, Prius v, Prius c and Prius PHV.
  27. ^ Bloomberg (2014-02-13). "Toyota Prius keeps Calif. sales crown; Tesla moves up". Automotive News. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  28. ^ California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) (February 2014). "California Auto Outlook: Fourth Quarter 2013". CNCDA. Archived from the original on 2014-02-17. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  29. ^ Jerry Hirsch (2014-02-15). "California auto buyers favor Toyota Prius; rest of U.S. prefers trucks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  30. ^ Mike Millikin (2013-10-04). "Ford doubles electric drive market share in US from 2012 to 2013; surging with plug-in hybrids". Green Car Congress. Retrieved 2013-10-06.
  31. ^ Craig Trudell (2013-12-30). "Ford Widens U.S. Sales Lead Over Toyota on Hybrid Models". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  32. ^ PR Newswire (2013-07-23). "Ford Delivers Best Hybrid Sales Quarter Ever; Grows Its Market Share and Attracts New Customers to the Brand". Market Watch. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  33. ^ "December 2008 Dashboard: The Key Is Production Numbers". hybridCars.com. 2009-01-13. Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  34. ^ Sara Carothers and Alyson Hurt (2011-11-22). "Map: Hybrid And Electric Sales Across The Country". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2012-02-02.

External links edit