Sales of fuel-friendly cars, hybrids rev up along with rising gas prices
15.05.2008 10:00
Shopping
- Source: toledoblade.com
Gasoline near $4 a gallon has drivers scared straight into dealerships asking for higher fuel-efficient cars and hybrids. Local dealerships said yesterday that interest in cars with high miles-per-gallon has skyrocketed with every gas hike recently. Plus, the sale of fuel-efficient cars has exploded locally as well as nationally, and it has been difficult keeping such vehicles on the lot for sales. "The No. 1 priority for most people coming in off the street is fuel economy," said Matt Bunkelman, sales manager at Gerweck Nissan in Monroe. Its Versa small car gets 32 miles per gallon and is sought after, with sales up 24 percent nationally in the first four months this year compared to a year ago. The dealership stocked up on fuel-efficient cars in January and now its inventory is double the standard number at 20 vehicles. The most popular fuel-efficient vehicle in the United States is the Toyota Prius. In Toledo, Jim White Toyota sales manager Don Ansted has trouble keeping them in stock. "We beg, plead, cajole, and do anything we can to get extra product," he said. The vehicle, which gets 46 miles per gallon and costs $24,000, has a waiting list of 20 people at the dealership. Each waits six to eight weeks. The vehicle, which uses a combination of gas and electric to operate, thus reducing gas usage, had a sales uptick of 21 percent in the first four months of this year to 64,664 units compared to the same period a year ago. Its price jumped about $900 in the past year and another $400 this month. The Toledo dealership had a 126 percent jump in sales during the first three months of this year compared to a year ago, selling 43 this year. Also popular at the store are the Camry Hybrid, which gets 34 miles per gallon, and the Yaris, at 37 miles per gallon. Toledoan Stan Rubini chose to buy the fuel-efficient Smart- fortwo, a new foreign model on the market. Since January, 6,159 of the eight-foot-long cars have been sold in the United States; 30,000 people are on the waiting list. The closest dealership is in Detroit. | CHECKING GAS PRICES
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