The HybridCars.com monthly sales dashboard is a collaboration of HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates, a Michigan-based market research firm focusing on automotive issues including the hybrid and electric vehicle market.
Alternative energy vehicle sales were just steady as she goes last month.
In related news, we have decided to separate plug-in electrified vehicles into two categories – plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and all-electric (also known as battery electric vehicles (BEV).
The plug-in market is growing, and we will see new models added to the yet-slim ranks this year, and beyond.
Note: The Chevrolet Volt and Cadillac ELR were a challenge as they cross categories and an argument could be made for them being slotted into the “electric” category (albeit with generator backup) or “plug-in hybrids.”
Given they have dual power trains, by a strict definition, they are plug-in hybrids, but their powertrain architecture operates not quite like the rest of the PHEVs.
General Motors calls them “EREVS for “extended-range electric vehicles” and this is not just marketing hype.
For example, a firm press of the accelerator will not kick the Volt or ELR’s gas engine on as it would with a Toyota or Ford PHEV.
GM’s EREV vehicles operate like EVs as long as they have battery charge and are very nearly pure series hybrids. Much of the time they do operate like series hybrids, but there are exceptions.
Their gas engines only rarely are used to mechanically power the front wheels, and for the most part are used solely as a generator for the electric traction motor.
In contrast, a Prius PHEV or Ford Energi revert to parallel hybrid mode if the battery is exhausted.
This is more than a semantic difference and we wanted to be a bit more clear over what for some is a contentious issue.
As for the volumes in the two new sub-categories these are roughly similar, with the all-electric segment dependent on the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S and the PHEV category paced by the Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius Plug In, Ford Fusion Energi, and Ford C-Max Energi.
As noted last month, cold weather and a new tax year are not good news for auto sales in general and hybrids and electrics in particular. Plug in hybrids had a good month relative to last month with the leading vehicles doing better than last month (although the Volt is down relative to last year).
Among battery electrics, the Leaf did well relative to last month and year, but volumes must increase (and will) to meet Nissan’s projections for the year. The Tesla Model S is being distributed in Europe and North America, so U.S. sales are down from the peak months of last year. Nevertheless, U.S. sales volumes are doing well and will increase as production increases.
Hybrid volumes are trailing the overall trends in the market. Prius hybrid sales (all varieties) are down relative to the overall market while other key hybrids are growing relative to last month, although generally not compared to February 2013. The weather and fuel prices are the usual suspects, although it appears fuel prices may be on their way up. The Subaru XV Crosstrek hybrid is new to the forecast and our volumes are estimated at this point.
Diesel volume has been consistent the past few months, and we are now including the Grand Cherokee. The Ram should launch in the current month. Diesel sales as a share of total volume have been quite steady as of late. Cruze diesel numbers continue to be modest, which we believe is due to a high price premium for the model.
February 2014 Hybrid Car Sales Numbers
Hybrids sold in the U.S. (February 2014): 30,561
Hybrid Take-Rate: 2.57%
U.S. Hybrid sales for February 2014
| Mfr | Model | 2-14 Sales | vs. 1-14 | vs. 2-13 | CY 2014 | CY 14 vs 13 | CY 2013 | Current Month U.S. Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota | Prius Liftback | 7,396 | 2.7% | -35.3% | 14,601 | -30.8% | 21,113 | 24.20% | |
| Ford | Fusion Hybrid | 3,096 | 18.8% | -18.7% | 5,703 | -16.7% | 6,849 | 10.13% | |
| Toyota | Prius C | 2,681 | 8.7% | -14.8% | 5,148 | -11.8% | 5,839 | 8.77% | |
| Toyota | Camry Hybrid | 2,517 | 27.2% | -39.3% | 4,495 | -43.6% | 7,973 | 8.24% | |
| Hyundai | Sonata | 1,907 | 42.3% | 32.4% | 3,247 | 23.3% | 2,633 | 6.24% | |
| Toyota | Prius V | 1,743 | 0.8% | -31.5% | 3,473 | -31.4% | 5,065 | 5.70% | |
| Ford | C-Max Hybrid | 1,301 | 37.4% | -54.3% | 2,248 | -57.1% | 5,236 | 4.26% | |
| Lexus | CT200h | 1,230 | -4.7% | 4.1% | 2,520 | 15.4% | 2,183 | 4.02% | |
| Kia | Optima Hybrid | 960 | 23.6% | -21.0% | 1,737 | -18.2% | 2,124 | 3.14% | |
| Lexus | ES Hybrid | 945 | 9.1% | -18.1% | 1,811 | -26.9% | 2,478 | 3.09% | |
| Lincoln | MKZ | 919 | 26.6% | 419.2% | 1,645 | 493.9% | 277 | 3.01% | |
| Honda | Accord Hybrid | 910 | 73.3% | N/A | 1,435 | N/A | - | 2.98% | |
| Lexus | RX 400 / 450 h | 621 | -2.5% | -17.9% | 1,258 | -16.1% | 1,500 | 2.03% | |
| Toyota | Avalon Hybrid | 613 | -36.8% | -55.0% | 1,583 | -34.1% | 2,401 | 2.01% | |
| Subaru | XV Crosstrek Hybrid | 546 | 16.2% | N/A | 1,016 | N/A | - | 1.79% | |
| Buick | Lacrosse Hybrid | 506 | 13.7% | -28.3% | 951 | -25.8% | 1,282 | 1.66% | |
| Honda | Civic Hybrid | 443 | 0.9% | 2.3% | 882 | 2.3% | 862 | 1.45% | |
| Honda | Insight | 339 | 6.9% | -12.6% | 656 | -7.2% | 707 | 1.11% | |
| Infiniti | Q50 Hybrid | 328 | 455.9% | N/A | 387 | N/A | - | 1.07% | |
| Honda | CR-Z | 318 | 19.1% | -16.5% | 585 | -20.8% | 739 | 1.04% | |
| Volkswagen | Jetta Hybrid | 232 | 3.6% | -14.7% | 456 | -9.5% | 504 | 0.76% | |
| Chevrolet | Malibu Hybrid | 202 | -12.9% | -83.9% | 434 | -80.6% | 2,235 | 0.66% | |
| Nissan | Pathfinder Hybrid* | 191 | -27.9% | N/A | 456 | N/A | - | 0.62% | |
| Infiniti | QX60 Hybrid* | 135 | -43.3% | N/A | 373 | N/A | - | 0.44% | |
| Toyota | Highlander Hybrid | 105 | -27.6% | -76.2% | 250 | -72.0% | 893 | 0.34% | |
| Buick | Regal Hybrid | 88 | 12.8% | -76.5% | 166 | -70.3% | 559 | 0.29% | |
| Porsche | Cayenne Hybrid | 64 | 42.2% | 100.0% | 109 | 18.5% | 92 | 0.21% | |
| Acura | ILX Hybrid | 42 | 55.6% | -72.7% | 69 | -71.0% | 238 | 0.14% | |
| Chevrolet | Impala Hybrid | 38 | 11.8% | N/A | 72 | N/A | - | 0.12% | |
| Audi | Q5 Hybrid | 24 | -33.3% | -68.4% | 60 | -63.9% | 166 | 0.08% | |
| Lexus | GS 450h | 23 | -23.3% | -39.5% | 53 | -26.4% | 72 | 0.08% | |
| BMW | ActiveHybrid 3 (335ih) | 18 | 100.0% | -79.5% | 27 | -81.3% | 144 | 0.06% | |
| BMW | ActiveHybrid 5 (535ih) | 18 | -18.2% | -58.1% | 40 | -34.4% | 61 | 0.06% | |
| Mercedes | E400H | 15 | -34.8% | -31.8% | 38 | -13.6% | 44 | 0.05% | |
| Infiniti | M Hybrid | 14 | -68.2% | -69.6% | 58 | -30.1% | 83 | 0.05% | |
| Lexus | LS 600h | 11 | 0.0% | -50.0% | 22 | -38.9% | 36 | 0.04% | |
| Chevrolet | Tahoe Hybrid | 6 | -25.0% | -84.2% | 14 | -79.4% | 68 | 0.02% | |
| Cadillac | Escalade Hybrid | 4 | -55.6% | -86.7% | 13 | -82.4% | 74 | 0.01% | |
| BMW | 7-Series ActiveHybrid | 3 | 0.0% | 50.0% | 6 | 20.0% | 5 | 0.01% | |
| Chevrolet | Silverado Hybrid | 3 | 200.0% | -78.6% | 4 | -83.3% | 24 | 0.01% | |
| GMC | Yukon Hybrid | 2 | -50.0% | -91.3% | 6 | -87.0% | 46 | 0.01% | |
| Mercedes | S400HV Hybrid | 2 | 100.0% | -77.8% | 3 | -85.7% | 21 | 0.01% | |
| Mercedes | ML450H | 2 | 100.0% | -66.7% | 3 | -66.7% | 9 | 0.01% | |
| Acura | RLX Hybrid | - | N/A | N/A | - | N/A | - | 0.00% | |
| GMC | Sierra Hybrid | - | N/A | -100.0% | - | -100.0% | 16 | 0.00% | |
| Lexus | HS 250h | - | N/A | -100.0% | - | -100.0% | 1 | 0.00% | |
| Nissan | Altima Hybrid | - | N/A | N/A | - | N/A | - | 0.00% | |
| Porsche | Panamera S Hybrid | - | N/A | -100.0% | - | -100.0% | 51 | 0.00% | |
| Volkswagen | Touareg Hybrid | - | -100.0% | -100.0% | 3 | -95.3% | 64 | 0.00% | |
| Total Hybrid | 30,561 | 10.9% | -23.9% | 58,116 | -22.3% | 74,767 | 100.00% | ||
| Total Auto Sales | 1,187,923 | 17.8% | -0.1% | 2,196,450 | -1.5% | 2,229,858 | |||
| Overall Hybrid Take Rate | 2.57% | 2.65% | 3.35% |
February 2014 Plug-in Hybrid Car Sales Numbers
Plug-in Hybrids sold in the U.S. (February 2014): 3,721
Plug-in Hybrid Take-Rate: 0.31%
U.S. Plug-in Hybrid sales for February 2014
| Mfgr | Model | 2-14 Sales | vs. 1-14 | vs. 2-13 | CY 2014 | CY 14 vs 13 | CY 2013 | Current Month U.S. Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Volt | 1,210 | 31.8% | -25.6% | 2,128 | -23.1% | 2,766 | 32.52% | |
| Toyota | Prius Plug In | 1,041 | 29.6% | 50.2% | 1,844 | 17.7% | 1,567 | 27.98% | |
| Ford | Fusion Energi | 779 | 46.2% | 554.6% | 1,312 | 1002.5% | 119 | 20.94% | |
| Ford | C-Max Energi | 552 | 17.2% | 65.3% | 1,023 | 52.2% | 672 | 14.83% | |
| Cadillac | ELR | 58 | 41.5% | N/A | 99 | N/A | - | 1.56% | |
| Porsche | Panamera S E-Hybrid | 57 | -59.6% | N/A | 198 | N/A | - | 1.53% | |
| Honda | Accord Plug In | 24 | -11.1% | 41.2% | 51 | 168.4% | 19 | 0.64% | |
| Total PHEV | 3,721 | 26.8% | 33.4% | 6,655 | 29.4% | 5,143 | 100.00% | ||
| Total Auto Sales | 1,187,923 | 17.8% | -0.1% | 2,196,450 | -1.5% | 2,229,858 | |||
| Overall PHEV Take Rate | 0.31% | 0.30% | 0.23% |
February 2014 All-Electric Car Sales Numbers
All-Electrics sold in the U.S. (February 2014): 3,324
All-Electric Take-Rate: 0.28%
U.S. All-Electric sales for February 2014
| Mfgr | Model | 2-14 Sales | vs. 1-14 | vs. 2-13 | CY 2014 | CY 14 vs 13 | CY 2013 | Current Month U.S. Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan | Leaf | 1,425 | 13.8% | 118.2% | 2,677 | 105.4% | 1,303 | 42.87% | |
| Tesla | Model S* | 1,400 | 7.7% | -6.7% | 2,700 | -3.6% | 2,800 | 42.12% | |
| Ford | Focvs EV | 129 | 29.0% | -18.4% | 229 | -4.2% | 239 | 3.88% | |
| Smart | forTwo EV | 122 | 25.8% | 12100.0% | 219 | 10850.0% | 2 | 3.67% | |
| Toyota | RAV4 EV | 101 | 60.3% | 94.2% | 164 | 113.0% | 77 | 3.04% | |
| Chevrolet | Spark | 71 | -23.7% | N/A | 164 | N/A | - | 2.14% | |
| Fiat | 500E* | 40 | 14.3% | N/A | 75 | N/A | - | 1.20% | |
| Honda | Fit EV | 33 | 10.0% | 120.0% | 63 | 173.9% | 23 | 0.99% | |
| Mitsubishi | i | 3 | 200.0% | -99.1% | 4 | -99.3% | 594 | 0.09% | |
| Total BEV | 3,324 | 11.3% | 21.7% | 6,295 | 25.0% | 5,038 | 100.00% | ||
| Total Auto Sales | 1,187,923 | 17.8% | -0.1% | 2,196,450 | -1.5% | 2,229,858 | |||
| Overall BEV Take Rate | 0.28% | 0.29% | 0.23% |
*Estimated sales figures for Tesla and Fiat.
February 2014 Compressed Natural Gas Car Sales Numbers
Compressed Natural Gass sold in the U.S. (February 2014): 37
Compressed Natural Gas Take-Rate: 0.00%
U.S. Compressed Natural Gas sales for February 2014
| Mfgr | Model | 2-14 Sales | vs. 1-14 | vs. 2-13 | CY 2014 | CY 14 vs 13 | CY 2013 | Current Month U.S. Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda | Civic | 37 | -43.9% | -73.4% | 103 | -61.1% | 265 | 100.00% | |
| Total CNG | 37 | -51.5% | -71.9% | 103 | -61.1% | 265 | 100.00% | ||
| Total Auto Sales | 1,187,923 | 17.8% | -0.1% | 2,196,450 | -1.5% | 2,229,858 | |||
| Overall CNGTake Rate | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.01% |
February 2014 Diesel Car Sales Numbers
Diesels sold in the U.S. (February 2014): 9,793
Diesel Take-Rate: 0.82%
U.S. Diesel sales for February 2014
| Mfr | Model | 2-14 Sales | vs. 1-14 | vs. 2-13 | CY 2014 | CY 14 vs 13 | CY 2013 | Current Month U.S. Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen | Jetta Diesel | 2,073 | 2.3% | -36.4% | 4,099 | -31.1% | 5,951 | 21.17% | |
| Volkswagen | Passat Diesel | 1,696 | 11.3% | -24.0% | 3,220 | -19.6% | 4,003 | 17.32% | |
| BMW | 3-Series Diesel | 916 | 88.5% | N/A | 1,402 | N/A | - | 9.35% | |
| BMW | 5-Series Diesel | 576 | 139.0% | N/A | 817 | N/A | - | 5.88% | |
| Chevrolet | Cruze Diesel | 508 | 42.3% | N/A | 865 | N/A | - | 5.19% | |
| BMW | X5 Diesel | 501 | 58.0% | 17.1% | 818 | 1.0% | 810 | 5.12% | |
| Audi | Q5 Diesel | 422 | -12.6% | N/A | 905 | N/A | - | 4.31% | |
| Mercedes | GL-Class Diesel | 415 | 33.0% | -46.3% | 727 | -46.2% | 1,351 | 4.24% | |
| Volkswagen | Golf Diesel | 366 | -5.2% | -58.6% | 752 | -47.7% | 1,437 | 3.74% | |
| Mercedes | ML Class Diesel | 364 | 36.3% | 14.8% | 631 | 5.9% | 596 | 3.72% | |
| Porsche | Cayenne Diesel | 350 | 30.6% | 11.5% | 618 | -13.0% | 710 | 3.57% | |
| Audi | Q7 Diesel | 310 | 6.5% | -1.3% | 601 | 18.8% | 506 | 3.17% | |
| Mercedes | GLK Class Diesel | 298 | 15.1% | N/A | 557 | N/A | - | 3.04% | |
| Mercedes | E-Class Diesel | 229 | 12.3% | 87.7% | 433 | 55.8% | 278 | 2.34% | |
| Audi | A6 Diesel | 202 | -1.5% | N/A | 407 | N/A | - | 2.06% | |
| Volkswagen | Touareg Diesel | 195 | 1.6% | -50.3% | 387 | -44.1% | 692 | 1.99% | |
| Jeep | Grand Cherokee Diesel | 127 | N/A | N/A | 127 | N/A | - | 1.30% | |
| Volkswagen | Beetle Diesel | 123 | -20.6% | -34.9% | 278 | -23.4% | 363 | 1.26% | |
| Audi | A8 Diesel | 59 | 34.1% | N/A | 103 | N/A | - | 0.60% | |
| Audi | A7 Diesel | 55 | -21.4% | N/A | 125 | N/A | - | 0.56% | |
| Mercedes | S-Class Diesel | 6 | -80.6% | -82.9% | 37 | -49.3% | 73 | 0.06% | |
| Mercedes | R-Class Diesel | 2 | 100.0% | -50.0% | 3 | -57.1% | 7 | 0.02% | |
| Audi | A3 Diesel | - | N/A | -100.0% | - | -100.0% | 197 | 0.00% | |
| Total Diesel | 9,793 | 20.6% | 4.5% | 17,912 | 5.5% | 16,974 | 100.00% | ||
| Total Auto Sales | 1,187,923 | 17.8% | -0.1% | 2,196,450 | -1.5% | 2,229,858 | |||
| Overall Diesel Take Rate | 0.82% | 0.82% | 0.76% |
