Last week, Fox News’ Neil Cavuto spoke with Toyota Motor Sales President and CEO Jim Lentz about the market for hybrids, gasoline prices, and buyer preferences.

The interview followed Toyota setting yet another Prius sales record with nearly 29,000 total Prius variants sold, the launch of the plug-in Prius, and continued solid sales for the improved Camry hybrid, among other vehicles.

An outspoken skeptic of the Chevrolet Volt, Fox’s “Your World” Host Cavuto probed with a similar edge to his questioning, asking whether the rise of hybrids “is all this just a mountain of dust?”

Lentz fielded the questions with facts and observations that much does hinge around gas prices.

“Hybrids were almost 19 percent of our sales,” he said. “But if you go back a year ago, hybrids in our case were still almost 15 percent of our sales.”

He noted also that it’s not just a higher dollar price for gasoline that triggers a rush the hybrid dealer’s showroom floor, it’s also the rate of increase – a sudden spike tends to make people react more.

Cavuto egded into questions also about cost-benefit analyses, and Lentz, while acknowledging some buyers do closely analyze, said many do not, and merely make decisions based on monthly payments or bottom line as to whether a purchase makes sense for them.

The interview could be seen to illustrate some of the subjective and objective aspects of the sales process. It’s long been said buyers ultimately make decisions based on “feelings.”

As it is, while Cavuto and Lentz seemed separated in their perspective, both could agree that fuel prices are a key trigger to feelings that spur buyers.

Lentz had also noted that some hybrid buyers do so for principled reasons like a desire to reduce dependence on oil, to save the environment, and other complementary ideals.

To this, Cavuto asked are hybrids merely the “toys of the well-to-do?”

“Not necessarily,” Lentz said. “I think – I cannot tell you about Volt’s situation, because I don’t know their particular demographics, but in the case of Prius, we have sold over a million Priuses here in the U.S. They are not all just to people with wealth. There are a lot of middle-income people buying the car. And quite frankly they are coming back into the market now.”

The interview politely ends with Cavuto saying it’s always good to have Lentz on the show.

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The latest “top pick” list by Consumer Reports has five out of 10 Toyotas on it, including the Camry Hybrid and Prius.

The last time domination by a single brand of this magnitude happened was by Honda in 2003, according to USA Today, which observed also that no Hondas were found on this year’s CR list.

Note that the updated 2012 Camry Hybrid was named best “family sedan,” not green family
sedan or hybrid family sedan. It edged out all the other Camrys in doing so.

Of it, CR said:

FAMILY SEDAN: Toyota Camry Hybrid ($29,052). In addition to its impressive 38 mpg overall fuel economy, other high points include a comfortable ride; a roomy, quiet, cabin; fairly quick acceleration; and for 2012, a nicer interior and somewhat crisper handling (although the Camry is still no sports sedan).

Perhaps many of you are not surprised, and just as likely, it will not seem a stretch that the Prius won best “green car,” as CR noted:

GREEN CAR: Toyota Prius ($26,750 to $28,217). The Prius sets the standard for fuel efficiency, practicality, and affordability with its overall 44 mpg. Its roomy interior, comfortable ride, and hatchback versatility make it easy to live with. The 41 mpg of the new Prius V wagon easily tops its class.

The other three categories and models won by Toyotas are: Small SUV: Toyota RAV4; Family Hauler: Toyota Sienna; Family SUV: Toyota Highlander.

USA Today

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Yesterday, Nascar driver Denny Hamlin gave people rides around Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina to demonstrate the Camry Hybrid’s track prowess.

But the car also had to be put to a test in order to earn the coveted pace car assignment. In order to be approved by Nascar, the Camry hybrid had to take off from a standstill position on pit road and reach 100 miles per hour by the time it got to the second turn of the racetrack. The car was able to hit the magic number and average about 105 miles per hour over multiple laps.

“That’s pretty impressive, considering that we’re talking about a hybrid here. It’s going to help dispel the notion that hybrid cars are synonymous with being slow and underpowered,” said Ben Davis, a track test driver and road test producer for PBS’ MotorWeek.

The Camry Hybrid is built in Georgetown, Kentucky. Its 2.4-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain combines for a total of 187 horsepower. Government fuel economy is 34 miles per gallon, and the car has earned an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) certification.

Featuring hybrid cars in this manner is not only a strong marketing and promotional strategy, but it also serves as a barometer to measure the strength of greener transportation alternatives with regards to both the consumer market and public consciousness, as a whole. The Camry hybrid is slated to run as a pace car in several more Nascar races this year.

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