A new study from Experian Automotive shows that hybrid automobile sales have increased 40.9 percent in 2012 as compared to 2011, further underscoring the rise of environmentally-friendly hybrids and other high-fuel economy vehicles as the “supercars” of the new generation.
In addition to the 41 percent surge in hybrid sales in 2012, Experian Automotive also revealed that hybrid market share went up from 2.2 percent to 3.1 percent in just one year’s time. Over the past few years, hybrid cars have become more than just “niche” vehicles, as car buyers become more attuned to the need to save more money at the pump. With gasoline prices remaining high, it stands to reason that hybrid vehicles may continue growing in popularity in the months and years to come.
One example of a popular hybrid has been Toyota’s Prius, which had recently sold a milestone five millionth hybrid unit worldwide. The Prius, which has been critically panned for its unfashionable appearance, has nonetheless risen to the status of one of America’s more popular cars, hybrid or not, largely due to its well above-average fuel economy numbers.
Experian’s study showed the Prius taking up 37.2 percent of the U.S. hybrid market, well ahead of the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Chevrolet Volt and other vehicles.
The other statistics revealed by Experian Automotive on its study are, to say the least, quite fascinating. There is little separating the percentage of men and women who prefer hybrids; 53 percent of all hybrid drivers covered in the study are women. It was also revealed that 25 to 34-year-old car owners would be about 16 percent more likely to prefer a household that owns or leases a hybrid vehicle.
Moreover, hybrid owners seem to have better credit than most other car buyers, with an average credit score of 790; the national average for car buyers is currently 755.