Hybrid Sales Continue To Climb In United States

The popularity of hybrid vehicles in the United States continues to rise. According to a report by the Green Car Congress in Washington, D.C., sales of hybrids in the U.S. rose 10 percent in March 2008 compared to 2007 sales in the same month.

The total sale of all hybrids in U.S last month was the second-highest ever, falling only behind the May 2007 total. The total pushed hybrid to a total sales share of 2.8 percent.

Toyota reported 20,635 sales of the Prius in March 2008, an increase of eight percent over March 2007 and the model’s second-best month’s results to date.

The Camry Hybrid sold 6,930 units, up 35 percent, and representing 17.1 per cent of all Camry sales.

The Highlander Hybrid sold 2,239 units, down 10 per cent from March 2007, and representing 20.7 per cent of all Highlanders sold.

The Lexus RX400h sold 1,570 units, up seven percent, and representing 20.3 percent of all RX models sold. The GS450h sold 65 units, down 64 percent, while the LS600h sold 113 units.

The Honda Civic Hybrid sold 3,769 units, up 34 percent and representing 11.5 per cent of all Civic sales. The Accord Hybrid, now discontinued, sold 53 units, down 86 percent and representing 0.1 per cent of all Accord models sold.

Combined sales of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids dropped 20 percent to 2,008 units, representing 9.0 of all Escape and Mariner models sold.

The Nissan Altima Hybrid sold 832 units, an 80 percent increase and 2.6 percent of all Altima models sold.