Americans seem to have a "two-week" memory. Now that gas prices have fallen sharply, there is a sharp drop in the sales of hybrid cars. U.S. hybrid petro-electric cars sales dropped 53% in November and 37% from a year earlier.
Some models, such as the Toyota Prius, saw sales down more than 50% and Camry sales were down 57%. Sales of Ford's Escape crossover were down 35%.
Hybrids normally cost $3,000 to $5,000 more than their gas equivalent models. Edmunds, a motor service company, estimates that it will take nearly eight years for a Prius owner to recoup the extra cost of the vehicle.
There was, however, an increase in the sales of small cars in November to 18.7% from 16.6% a year earlier.
This whole change of attitude has Detroit automakers confused and is creating uncertainty in the marketplace. It would seem that this would further add to the already existing dilemma that automakers are facing in their efforts to restructure their business models.
Would you buy a hybrid car?
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