Outlook for hybrid sales iffy, polls show

Incentives boost sales of Prius, but performance questions persist

…As the Prius incentive program is pared back, sales may falter. A poll done by CarGurus.com, an automotive community site, found that a majority of the more than 500 respondents, or 80 percent, have no plans to buy a hybrid vehicle as their next car despite rising gas prices and a growing interest in curbing the emission of gases that contribute to global climate change. Hybrids cut emissions and gas use by using an electric motor at slow speeds.

Hybrid cars do deliver better gas mileage. The 2007 Toyota Prius gets a combined city and highway gas mileage of 55 miles per gallon, according to the Department of Energy. That is far higher than the 25 mpg average fuel efficiency for other vehicles in the midsize car segment. But the 2007 Prius goes from 0 to 60 mph in a sluggish 10.1 seconds and achieves a top speed of only 105 mph, which could leave many new-car buyers cold, Steinert said.

There may be other road blocks for hybrid sales, which have wobbled since August. These include a decline in gas prices late last year and the fact that Toyota has run up against a federal limit for tax credits that have helped drive sales of the gas-friendly sedan. Another reason is recently revised fuel mileage standards from the Environmental Protection Agency that are designed to more accurately reflect how Americans drive their cars and will cut fuel economy estimates for cars like the Prius by an average 8 to 12 percent beginning this year.

MSNBC