Toyota Prius' customer loyalty had a significant effect in Polk's study. When repurchase behavior of Prius customers was not factored in, overall hybrid loyalty dropped to less than 25 percent. (Source: Toyota)
Posted on 09/25/2012 7:23:07 AM PDT by Red Badger
A new study by R.L. Polk & Co. shows that the overall percentage of hybrids sold into the new vehicle market has fallen from 2.9 percent to 2.4 percent over the past three years. Moreover, approximately two-thirds of hybrid owners who returned to the market in 2011 did not buy another hybrid.
"Intuitively, you would expect the numbers to be higher, given how many hybrid vehicles are available in the market place today," Brad Smith, director of Polk's loyalty management practice, told us.
Polk's study revealed that only 35 percent of hybrid owners chose to purchase a hybrid again when returning to the market in 2011. The repurchase rate was even lower -- under 25 percent -- when owners of the Toyota Prius were excluded from the statistics.
Industry experts familiar with the study don't believe that the low percentage of return buyers is a reflection of dissatisfaction with hybrids. Most hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, have performed well in reliability studies and have offered fuel efficiencies as advertised.
But hybrids now face competition from conventional gasoline-burning and diesel-burning vehicles that are boosting their fuel efficiencies. As a result, prospective buyers whose main concern is vehicle operating costs may be less inclined to choose a hybrid.
"People who buy hybrids because they are eco-friendly are more likely to stick with it and buy another hybrid," said Lacey Plache, chief economist for Edmunds.com. "But hybrids are facing really strong competition in terms of attracting consumers who are just looking at the bottom line."
Toyota Prius' customer loyalty had a significant effect in Polk's study. When repurchase behavior of Prius customers was not factored in, overall hybrid loyalty dropped to less than 25 percent. (Source: Toyota)
“People who buy hybrids because they are eco-friendly are more likely to stick with it and buy another hybrid,”
And a standard car that gets the same mileage as a Prius is less ‘eco-friendly’ because...?
I would like them to factor in people who have a hybrid as a primary vehicle and not just a hobby or me-too showpiece.
47/47/47mpg for the 2013 Fusion Hybrid.
http://wot.motortrend.com/official-2013-ford-fusion-hybrid-returns-474747-mpg-262711.html
It’s not the official Obama-authorized auto. Come on, get on board for the big win.
-——because...?——
It is morally inferior
Rational thought is not relevant in the decision
Self worth is the deciding factor for repurchase
Well, the Pious screams, Hybrid so their owners can feel superior. Other hybrids that are just modified regular cars, don’t sell nearly as well for that one single reason.
This reminds me of polls where Republicans are not polled.
We don’t own a Pious and will never own one.
Having said that, we know many Pious owners on their second or third Pious.
Toyota/Lexus makes very reliable vehicles and a large % of people buy another one if they want/need a new car.
So removing the #1 hybrid from this survey, makes the survey totally worthless.
That car looks a bit like an Aston Martin. Very nice!
I for one had to give up on a hybrid vehicle. In 2007, I purchased a Ford Escape Hybrid, trading in a perfectly good 1999 Chevy Siverado for it. The Silverado had the advantage of being able to transport my spouse’s power wheelchair, but the interior of the Escape lacked the room or access to load it easily in the interior. So I used a carrier on the back, mounted on the Category I hitch I had also included in the purchase. Sometime later, I chose to purchase a small trailer, to carry both the power chair, and an electric scooter, only to discover, there is no legal way to connect the trailer lights to the Escape Hybrid’s electrical system. I ended up trading the Hybrid for a nearly identical Escape with a V6. Fine, I could tow the trailer now.
But the trailer proved awkward for a number of reasons, and besides, spouse had difficulty climbing up into the Escape. So we traded again, this time for a Toyota Sienna minivan, whinch has LOADS of interior room, allowing both the power wheelchair and the electric scooter to be loaded, without use of a trailer OR a carrier on the back.
Upshot, probably will drive the Toyota until the wheels fall off, or it becomes part of the estate, whichever comes first. For sure, NEVER going back to an electric or hybrid vehicle again. They simply cannot handle the chores of a primary family vehicle.
Don’t forget to account for the Pius pollution: That big SuperFund cleanup in Canada for its batteries. The Pius pollutes more than a Hummer in its lifetime because of that.
Awwww......
Prius is the iPhone brand ...... it keeps suckers all feeling fuzzy warm inside.
They have taken over the taxi industry in San Fran and in Europe.
An SF driver just told me he runs them three years to about 350,000 miles and sells them to other entities who run them two more. Average MPG: 30. Not bad considering the alternatives.
And a standard car that gets the same mileage as a Prius is less ‘eco-friendly’ because...?
Because of the creation and disposal of the battery pack
the Prius is less “eco-friendly” than the average car. This
is the opinion of the head of the physics department at our
local college. A very smart and level headed scientist who
is not swayed by political correctness.
Hybrid tech might make sense for garbage and mail trucks and other service vehicles that make frequent stops but the tech does little for the good driver in typical conditions who can anticipate stops and slowdowns.
Got a Prius as a rental one time because it was the holidays and that’s all they had on the lot.
I drove through some moderate flurries on the highway that any normal FWD sedan would laugh at. Maybe a half inch of accumulation. Every time a big rig flew past me, I would slide several feet.
On the bright side, I felt very lucky to be alive after that trip...
We know a retired couple who bought a Prius several years ago. After they had it for a couple years, I asked them how it was working out. He went on and on telling me how it was the best investment he had ever made and how much money it saved them in gas. Then he told me how it had just passed “it’s 5000 mile check up with flying colors”. This was back when gasoline was less than $2 a gallon.
I didn’t argue with him, but I was able to do some rough math in my head. He told me they were getting around 50mpg dividing by the 5000 miles they drove it in 2 years came to 100 gallons of gas or 50 gallons per year. At $2 per gallon they were spending only $100 per year for gasoline.
My wife’s 1999 Buick Regal GS has a V-6 with a supercharger and every available option gets 18mpg and 27mpg according to the EPA and for our mix of driving averages approximately 23mpg. So if they had been using my wife’s car they would have spent a little more than $200 per year for gasoline which for them calculated out to savings of a little more than $100 per year. Giving them the benefit of the doubt... I figured they were saving $10 a month over my wife’s car in fuel.
Their Prius supposedly had a retail value of around $25,000 which they couldn’t afford because they are on a fixed income provided by Uncle Sam and have less than perfect credit. But they got a “sweet deal” on a lease for only $400 a month.
My wife’s car originally retailed for more than the Prius because you pay a premium for a 240hp supercharged engine, all leather and every available option, however we bought it used with cash when it was a couple years old for just over $11,000. Even now with 214,000 miles it still runs and looks like new after 10 years and no major repairs.
Our friends had to give their Prius back after their lease ran out. Thier lease payments came to just $400 x 36 = $14,400 + several hundred dollars in fees, but remember they saved over $360 in gas as compaired to my wife’s car in that same time period. Wow! What a deal! And think of the memories that they still have.
I forgot to mention that we had already been using my wife’s Buick Regal for over three years before they even bought their Prius... which was longer than their lease period. Our Buick still looked like a new luxury car while their Prius looked like what you see holding up traffic everyday driving 55 in the fast lane. He did admit to me that it didn’t do very well if they wanted to go over 60mph.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.