U.S. hybrid sales up 38% in 2007; Prius leads the pack

“It’s a good call on automakers’ parts to not make their hybrids so funky and out of body style than what’s already out there,” Miller said. “People have requirements for what they need.”

California remained the top state for hybrid sales in 2007. Twenty-six percent of all hybrid registrations were in California, up 35 percent from 2006. Florida, New York, Texas and Washington followed.

Miller forecasts more of the same this year, despite warnings from automakers that U.S. car sales could be at their slowest pace in more than a decade due to high gas prices and the weak economy. Miller predicts hybrid sales will rise 30 percent or more.

“This segment has still outpaced what the rest of the industry has done. I can’t see the hybrid category totally chilling out,” Miller said.

Fenske, who closely monitors hybrid discussions groups on Web sites like Edmunds.com, hopes more people will do the research and the math he did and buy a hybrid car. He figures he’s saving US$3,000 per year in maintenance compared to his old vehicle, plus US$2,000 to US$3,000 per year in fuel costs for his 20-minute commute. He says he gets around 48 miles per gallon.

Fenske said he waited several years to buy a hybrid because he wanted to make sure the technology was proven. Then, he was concerned about how the little car would perform in the mountains. He has had to make some compromises; he can’t drive up some rough roads, but he has decided to hike or bike instead. But for the most part, the car has exceeded his expectations.

“Last night, I drove back from a union meeting in the middle of a blizzard and I had no traction problems at all,” he said. “I was passing SUVs in the ditch left and right.”

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