Study: When Gasoline Reaches $3.50 A Gallon, 45% Of Americans Will Buy Hybrids?

Some 40 percent of Americans would curb their driving habits if retail gasoline prices shot up to $3.50 a gallon, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released today.

The poll also reflected the increasing popularity of gasoline-electric hybrids, with 45 percent of people polled saying they expected to own a hybrid in 10 years, compared with 20 percent who said they expected to own a gasoline-only car.

Hybrid car sales have grown by more than 50 percent during the last year, according to www.HybridCars.com, while the overall car market shrank by 3 percent. Sales of the Toyota Prius, the most popular hybrid in the United States, rose 83 percent.


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LexusKindaGuy12 - 7/18/2007 1:50:16 PM

+2 Boost

the last time i checked, the gas station down the street said $3.63 so......

BelgianGuy - 7/18/2007 3:18:05 PM

+1 Boost

Let me compare this with the gasoline prices in Belgium (Europe):

1 gallon = 3.785411784 litres
1 litre = 1.416 euro
1 euro = 1.3781 USD

This gives us:

3.785411784 * 1.416 * 1.3781 = 7.39 USD / gallon

In Belgium there were a total of 526,000 cars sold of which only 800 cars where hybrid cars.

I doubt this study.

SevorbeupstryIsBack - 7/18/2007 4:13:18 PM

+2 Boost

It's the same here in Germany, but I lived in Belgium as well. If you do 50.000 to 60.000 km in a year and you drive on petrol and you live near Autobahns... VERY EXPENSIVE!

LexusKindaGuy12 - 7/18/2007 6:25:53 PM

+3 Boost

I live in California, San Francisco

Rupert - 7/18/2007 8:09:57 PM

+1 Boost

I paid $7.20/gallon a couple of days ago here in the UK...
Don't complain!

Agent009 - 7/18/2007 2:12:55 PM

+3 Boost

U.S. All Grades All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Cents per Gallon) http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/hist/mg_tt_usw.htm

TauronB2G - 7/18/2007 3:10:09 PM

+3 Boost

I paid 3.39 per gallon this morning in the western suburbs of Chicago and that was cheap. I have already curbed my driving habits. I drive my Honda Civic a whole lot more often now. I think hybrids are bull they usually don't get the stated mileage and I think that it probably takes years to reap any real benefits from a hybrid powertrain. Im a gas man...maybe in the future if diesels become more popular and have comparable performance i'll buy one. But the hybrid image or fad is not for me.
T

SevorbeupstryIsBack - 7/18/2007 4:14:49 PM

+2 Boost

You Americans will soon have start building more fuel efficient cars with smaller engines.. I mean the pick-ups and SUV you love so much are starting to get expensive to drive... especially when doing 12 mpg.

Monk - 7/18/2007 4:53:58 PM

0 Boost

well my family is getting a MB GL diesel...

mini22 - 7/18/2007 4:37:10 PM

+2 Boost

I think it wont be just hybrids.It will also be diesels. VW,BMW,Honda,Toyota,Cadillac,Saturn,Chrysler will all be coming out with diesel cars within the next 3 yrs. There will be a diesel explotion here.Next will be hybrid diesels.Ford once again is missing the boat.Diesels have the advantage in that they are bigger but can get the same and sometimes better gas mileage then hybrids.

Htay7500 - 7/18/2007 4:43:57 PM

+1 Boost

the DC area is experiencing some high prices too, somewhere to 3.20-30 in DC. but VA is much cheaper.

Will_ - 7/18/2007 5:12:26 PM

-1 Boost

I'll just wait for Al Gore to fix this mess...

BelgianGuy - 7/19/2007 1:08:09 AM

+1 Boost

That is what happened in Europe as well, Diesel is a about 0.60 USD cheaper by the liter than gasoline and that is why there are a lot of Diesels out there.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a new BMW 525D but I really wanted to buy the BMW Coupe 335i, which was including the options the same price category. But if you drive like me about 1500 miles per week you don't have a choice.

EnnNorak - 7/19/2007 10:29:26 AM

+1 Boost

NO! not hybrids. I can see 45% of North American drivers opting for diesels. right now we import refined gasoline from Europe and we export diesel fuel to them. Once diesels are widely adopted here, we won't have to ship our surplus diesel fuel abroad.