Who wants a hugola hybrid?

Newswheel staff :: 22 March 2006 :: Filed under Hybrid, SUV, Lexus, Lexus RX, US

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Petrol-electric SUVs struggle Stateside

Not Americans, according to a report by Stateside daily USA Today. While compact petrol-electric hybrids such as Toyota’s Prius and the Honda Civic continue to fly off forecourts in the US, registrations of bigger beasts including Ford’s Escape hybrid and the RX 400h from Lexus are stodgy enough to have the marketing men prepping sales incentives.

Part of the problem, of course, is the price premium. A Toyota Highlander hybrid will pillage your wallet to the tune of $6,590 more than a superficially identical petrol-powered model. And unless we are very much mistaken, most US buyers of SUVs probably give more thought to their brand of waffle syrup than the fuel economy of their beefy off-road steeds.
 
Meanwhile, thanks to the unique styling of cars like the Toyota Prius, Generation X’ers can cruise the streets wearing their green credentials with pride – and forget about the high end computing equipment they have soaking up the grid at home.

Anywho, for more fascinating factoids and must-know minutiae regarding relative success of hybrids, little and large, including the fact that on average a Lexus RX400h festers on forecourts for five days more than an RX330, ride your rodents over to USA Today.

Linkage:
USA Today