Hybrid Vehicles' Fading Appeal

The change in heart of auto owners is attributed to the cut in gasoline prices. In this regard, some auto enthusiasts are saying that hybrid vehicles' appeal is fading away. Toyota and Honda automakers have enjoyed hybrid hype the most. This is because, their hybrid vehicles made it big in the auto market at once. According to Alex Rosten, Edmunds.com's manager of pricing and market analysis, the downturn that can be attributed in large part to a quirk in federal law. He added,which can cost some $3,000 more than a regular model, will need 10 to 12 years to break even in fuel savings, assuming the price of gas remains within the $2.50 to $3 range. "To get that saving you have to drive 15,000 miles a year, and if you are driving a hybrid 15,000 miles a year, you are doing a lot of highway driving and not maximizing the best use of your vehicle," Lindland continued. "The tax credit has played a large role, and it will expire at the end of 2007 unless Congress renews it." On the one hand, Rosten said that there will always be a demand for hybrids from "green" consumers.
Those vehicles are already popular in Europe. (Diesel) has got a really bad rap because most of us think of it as loud and smelly, but this is not your father's diesel," she continued. "Cars that run on diesel get consistently better mileage than gas engines, whether on the highway or in the city. That's the huge advantage they have over hybrids -- they are not as 'duty-cycle' sensitive."