[bwilson4web]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle1904067/

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The verdict: More people will choose the hybrid when price isn't a factor, but not too many more.

The MKZ has the highest percentage of buyers opting for the hybrid version — 24 per cent — of any car or crossover. Only 16 per cent of buyers chose the hybrid version of the Lexus RX crossover in January, for example. Just 7 per cent of buyers opted for the hybrid version of the Ford Fusion sedan, which has the same engine and battery as the MKZ.

The numbers indicate that hybrids — stuck at less than 5 per cent of total U.S. sales after a decade on the market — could generate higher sales if they were priced more competitively. The starting price of the Lexus RX, for example, is $5,560 (U.S.) more than the gas version. The Ford Fusion hybrid costs $8,830 more than the gas version. The Lexus LS hybrid, the most expensive on the market, starts at $111,350, which is $45,000 more than the regular LS.
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According to the hybrid dashboard reports, hybrids have barely reached in their best months, 3% of the USA monthly sales. January 2011, the rate was 2.38%. But there is something else going on, a great experiment in Japan.

For the past 20 months, the Pius was the number one, selling car in Japan. The open question is how the long term, fuel savings will stack up against the cost of significantly increasing the Japanese fleet, fuel efficiency.

Bob Wilson