Lower fuel prices have taken a toll on hybrid electric vehicles sales. Honda and Nissan have each discontinued two or more models. However, Chevrolet and Toyota have new hybrids arriving for 2016.
Honda Civic Hybrids sit unsold on a dealer’s lot.
Hybrid electric vehicle sales have had a tough time this past year as lower fuel prices drive customers to traditional gasoline models and larger ones at that. Although the Toyota Prius remains the undisputed hybrid leader, Prius sales are down nearly 16 percent through the first six months of the year.
Toyota shows no signs of retrenchment in a segment that it dominates, but its competitors are not showing the same resolve. Indeed, manufacturers are reviewing what products to offer customers as the shift to SUVs continues unabated. Hybrids are on the chopping block and in the past year, we have seen the number of discontinued hybrids mount.
Honda Civic Hybrid
The Honda Civic may be one of the most popular compact cars on the planet, but its hybrid offering just isn’t making the grade. Through June, Honda sold just 2,264 hybrid Civics or about one-third the number of the Accord Hybrids for the same period.
Honda, which beat the Toyota Prius to the market with its Insight, has been down this road before. Indeed, after the Insight was canceled, it was brought back. Then canceled again. Honda still sells the sporty CR-Z, but rumors say that hybrid-only model will be replaced by a gasoline-only model. Honda will keep the Accord Hybrid, but the plug-in version is history. Honda has also canceled the Civic CNG — a compressed natural gas— model.
Ford Fusion Hybrid sales continue to fall in 2015.
Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid
An all-new crossover Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle made its debut in 2014. With it came a hybrid model, giving shoppers something besides a Toyota Highlander Hybrid to consider. Available in two- and four-wheel drive editions, the Pathfinder Hybrid was rated as high as 25 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
What the Pathfinder Hybrid didn’t do was to bring in the sales. It was powered by a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine and that motor only kicked in when it was needed. When combined with the hybrid system, it generated 250 horsepower, close to the 260-horsepower of the V-6 model. Due to the fact sales have been weak the hybrid won’t be sold for the 2016 model year. Furthermore, no left over models are available.
This is the second time Nissan has thrown in the hybrid towel. It discontinued the Altima Hybrid a few years back. Your lone vehicle electrification choice is now the all-electric Nissan Leaf.
Infiniti QX60 Hybrid
In case you did not know it, the Infiniti QX60 and the Nissan Pathfinder are alike. The former is the premium version, but just like the Pathfinder interest in the hybrid model has been lacking since it was introduced in 2014.
Unlike the Pathfinder, Infiniti quietly discontinued the QX60, perhaps thinking that no one would notice. That’s not a poor assessment as the manufacturer has indicated it was never much of a draw for the brand in the first place. If you want an Infiniti hybrid, the Q50 and Q70 sedan lines still offer them.
The Infiniti QX60 line no longer includes a hybrid version.
New Hybrids Planned
Just as manufacturers free themselves of some hybrid models, new ones are on the way. Figure that some of the planning for the new models started before gas prices plummeted, but will be released perhaps in time for the next run up in fuel costs.
The Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid returns for the 2016 model year, but it is nothing like the “mild” hybrid that once powered this midsize sedan. The new model may challenge the Honda Accord Hybrid for segment-leading fuel economy, delivering a combined 47 mpg. Unlike the original hybrid Malibu, this one can operate in electric-only mode at speeds of up to 55 mph. It will have a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine and a two-motor electric drivetrain, similar to the PHEV Chevrolet Volt.
The Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid may be part of GM’s long-term strategy for raising its fleet mpg average. It should also spawn new models elsewhere, with Buick a logical fit and perhaps Cadillac too.
Toyota may be disappointed in slumping Prius sales, but it continues to expand its hybrid line and will bring a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to the market in 2016. This model follows the mechanically similar Lexus NT Hybrid and will give Toyota eight hybrid models. Apparently, Toyota also believes that gas prices have bottomed out and that interest in hybrids will once again flourish in the near future.
See Also — Income Tax Breaks and Your Hybrid Car
A standard gas-electric hybrid vehicle never needs to be plugged in under any circumstances. The battery is charged using two methods: first, some extra energy from the gas engine is routed to the battery. Second, a special system known as “regenerative braking” converts power normally wasted when a car is slowing down or braking directly to battery power. The car’s computer decides when to switch between gasoline and electric power, leading to improved miles per gallon with no change in activity on the driver’s part.
Money saved on gas can have a significant impact over the life of the car, so approximate your average gas usage before and after a hybrid purchase and apply those savings to the price of the car. Purchasers of especially gas-efficient vehicles are also almost always able to take advantage of special tax incentives put in place to encourage just such behavior, potentially knocking multiple thousands of dollars off the price when calculating your yearly tax burden.
There are a number of practical reasons to go for a hybrid, not the least of which is reduced gas costs and less time spent finding a gas station to pull over at. If it ends up being a little bit better for the environment, well, that’s a nice bonus. If it ends up that the country does not have to import as much oil, well, someone somewhere might be fond of that.
While many of the newer hybrid batteries have not yet been on the road quite long enough to determine their true effective ranges, what data exists is Toyota Prius very promising. For one, batteries are usually under warranty for the first eight years or 100,000 miles – a respectable distance, and not an unusually short one for any car part.
I cannot say that the Prius is a design magnet. It is not. Rather, it is a brilliant marketing effort that has allowed Toyota to claim its green credentials and shape the hybrid market. That market is owned by Toyota which sells more hybrids than all other manufacturers combined. In fact, before Ford came along, Toyota had a 2-to-1 edge in the hybrid market.
The CR-Z is the model closest to the Insight in pricing, retailing from just $19,995. It is a two-seat hybrid which makes it less practical than other models, but given that Honda is sticking with it demonstrates that its appeal outstrips the Insight. Honda’s two remaining hybrids — the Civic Hybrid and Accord Hybrid — are based on two highly popular model lines. Neither one has the polarizing look of other hybrids, while also delivering exceptional fuel economy.