Go Go Green Cars

The headline seems to be stark – a 29% drop in the sale of light hybrids in the US with 16,020 units sold but is this really bad news!

It is pretty bad news for all those who have not invested in a new hybrid car because they are going to be losing out on huge fuel economies and minimizing environmental impact.

But aside from that, the bad news is non-existent because when you compare the 29% drop with the trend for the entire light duty vehicle sector which dropped 41% – in this context, hybrids are stacking up pretty well despite the fierce competition for business and the adverse economic conditions.

January 2009 figures show hybrids took 2.3% of the entire car market but this was flat during February 2009 with no change – compare this to 1.9% for February 2008 and you can see that though a small section of the total market, it is bucking the trend of decline we are seeing elsewhere.

Toyota has been suffering with only the Rx 400h showing positive sales growth up by almost 31% while all other models dropped off.

GM came in second slot for total hybrid sales but management have got to have their attention focused on bringing in the merger/takeover with Fiat after being given enough working capital to get through the next 30 days by the US government (i.e. you the taxpayer).

Nissan, Honda and Ford all reported drops in the monthly sales numbers of their hybrids too but all their falls are less than the drop in volume sales for non-hybrids which are proving a less attractive selling proposition than hybrid equivalents.

With so much happening in DC with GM and Chrysler the executive focus may not be on the green ball at the moment but as Fiat/GM move to closing a deal and resolving the Chrysler issues becomes more problematical, the green issues are taking a back seat but not in the sales leagues.

Happy Christmas everyone and we hope you didn’t overdose too much on food and drink as well as Santa delivering what you wanted!

The New Year is creeping up on us and 2009 is now a few moments away.

Now is the very best time of year to go looking at what deals are available on the car dealers lots – it’s a new year and a whole new set of sales incentives are available as 2008 is consigned to history and America gets to do it all over again!

Car prices are dropping like a rock given the economy but we all need to drive; now you can negotiate a great deal on whatever vehicle you are interested in simply because of the time of year and the very real desire of dealers to get cars moving off the lot but also the necessity being imposed from the very highest levels in Washington DC for car buyers to get a the best value for money deal possible while that great big car industry bail out is still being considered.

If you are looking for a hybrid, regular gas or diesel fuel or going green all the way – you really are in the driving seat when it comes to making a deal.

Do your research in between the turkey and cranberry and go prepared to the dealer with what you are looking for and have a budget in mind when you do.  Show you mean business to the sales representative and you are bound to stimulate their interest in selling you the vehicle you are looking for – don’t forget to focus on the optional extras you are looking for as this is something car makers and dealers are looking to use to make profit and is where you will find they are willing to negotiate great value deals with you.