A new report on the sales of hybrids and electric cars indicate June saw a surge of 164 percent. According to Kelley Blue Book’s Blue Book Market Report for July 2012, sales have remained strong, which is atypical in periods following a fuel price peak like the one in March. Lexus CT200h, for instance, saw sales grow 500 percent year-on-year.
Another best seller was the Chevy Volt, whose sales improved more than 200 percent year-over-year. The Volt has outsold the Nissan Leaf, its main competitor, nearly 3-to-1 so far this year, despite costing more. The Leaf saw a small decrease compared with one year ago.
“The Toyota Prius was the most significant driver of segment gains, with sales surging more than 300 percent from June of last year. The Prius has been in high demand since the introduction of the subcompact Prius c and wagon-esque Prius v. Sales numbers for the Prius also look especially strong due to the inventory shortages that plagued Toyota at this time last year,” said Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights for Kelley Blue Book.
The monthly Blue Book Market Report provides an overview of the state of the automotive industry by analyzing Kelley Blue Book Auction Values.
Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.
