Fuel efficient vehicles are helping to drive the local vehicle market, but price and scarcity, not environmental consciousness, are limiting the number of potential consumers.
As fuel prices hovered in the area of $4 per gallon much of the summer, local dealerships tried their best to meet the needs of buyers who wanted to reduce their number of trips to the pump and find ways to rev down their fuel budgets.
Darrell Leacock, a 2005 Toyota Prius owner, said when he purchased the vehicle in 2004 from Ernst Toyota he was attracted to the design and engineering of the vehicle, the fuel efficiency was just a bonus.
Leacock, a loyal Toyota owner since the 1960s, said during the past few years the vehicle has exceeded his expectations and after traveling more than 46,500 miles, the average fuel consumption rate has been more than 47 mpg.
“This is a true hybrid. The engineering on it is tremendous,” he said, and it has stood up to tests ranging from local travel to cross country trips through the Rockies.
“It won’t do 0-60 (mph) in 10 seconds, but it will do 0-60 (mph) in 12 seconds,” he said.
When he initially bought the vehicle, he said he could not have imagined fuel prices in the $4 a gallon range, but as fuel prices peaked his passion for his Prius only grew.
“I wanted a vehicle I know is going to last me 10 years,” Leacock said, and since the purchase “I quit driving any other vehicle.”
Although Leacock had the appreciation for hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles years ago, local dealerships reported compact and fuel efficient cars were not as desirable as they became this year.
As gas prices passed the $3.50 per gallon mark, the category of cars became hot commodities.
John Adamy, general manager of Phil Spady Chrysler Plymouth Dodge, said last year many of the smaller, fuel efficient models barely budged from the lot, but currently they are difficult to keep in stock.
“Our Dodge Avengers and Chrysler Sebrings weren’t really selling all of last year,” Adamy said, but after “the first couple months this year, now all of a sudden they are gone.”
Joe Steffensmeier, general manager of Gene Steffy Ford, said the demand began around March and since then he has found it difficult to find such cars at auction and, when found, some times it is not cost beneficial to purchase the vehicle.
“Auction prices have gone up at least 15-20 percent. The book prices don’t justify what they bring. The Ford Focus, prices are up considerably on those,” because of their popularity, Steffensmeier said. “There is such demand that dealers find it hard to trade for them to get a new one in.”
Last year stock levels of fuel efficient cars, such as the Ford Fusion, were consistent, he said, but since demand for such vehicles soared, those levels are extremely low.
“There are little longer order times. The Ford Escape Hybrid is on back order, eight months. The last one I ordered took six months. No one has them in stock,” he said.
Kevin Wagner, sales consultant for Ernst Toyota, said some 30 mpg models are on backorder, and buyers may have to wait a few months to receive the vehicle.
Among the Toyota line, “the hardest one out of the group is of course the Prius,” Wagner said. “The waiting list is an average of six months” because there are currently a dozen people on the backorder list, and the dealership receives two Priuses a month.
Also, the wait for a Toyota Camry Hybrid can be more than three months, because the dealership only receives one every quarter, he said. However, if a person is not too selective about colors and options vehicles such as the Toyota Corolla and Yaris are readily available.
Adamy said the shortage may be temporary as manufacturers are beginning to shut down truck and SUV plants and convert them to produce cars, but it would not be an immediate solution to meet current demand levels.
“We have been very busy with people trading in SUVs and trucks for smaller vehicles,” such as the Dodge Calibers and Jeep Patriots, Adamy said. “The volume of sales has been the same it is just that smaller cars are doing a lot more work for us.”
Wagner said if people are looking to get a fuel efficient vehicle the best thing to do is pre-order it.
“With high demand and low supply most of them are already sold prior to showing up,” he said.
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