Published November 4, 2012
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.
The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid displaced Toyota from third-place in the hybrid sales category.
Plug-in vehicles had a strong month. Both the Toyota Prius PHEV and the Chevy Volt turned in their best-ever monthly sales, and the Volt has set incremental records the last three months straight, with consistent sales of just under 3,000 units.
While incentives on the Nissan Leaf led to the second-best-ever performance. The Ford C-Max Energi (plug-in hybrid) debuted with 144 sales. These vehicles were 0.65 percent of total North American sales, again a best-ever performance.
The Ford C-Max Hybrid achieved over 3,000 sales in its second month – and Ford notes this was its Prius v fighter's first full month – of availability which represents a strong performance bumping Toyota out of its usual third-place spot. Typically, the Liftback looms large in first place, and the next three spots have been vied for by the Camry, Prius c and Prius v, but in October Ford crashed the party with its new hybrid. Let's see if it can do it again next month ...
As for the volume king, the Prius Liftback (the "regular" Prius) was somewhat subdued, while the c and v continued at levels achieved in recent months. Total hybrid sales were at 3.1% of sales, slightly ahead of the last two months.
While total sales were down from last month (8.2 percent), plug-in sales were up by 21 percent and diesel sales were down by 2 percent. Hybrid sales were down 9 percent, in line with the overall market result which of course was influenced by Hurricane Sandy affecting the Northeast during the crucial last three selling days.
October 2012 Hybrid Car Sales Numbers
Hybrids sold in the U.S. (October 2012): 33,290
Hybrid Take-Rate: 3.06%
U.S. hybrid sales for October 2012
| Model | Units | vs. last month | vs. October 2011 | CYTD | vs. CYTD 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Prius Liftback | 8,788 | -18.7% | -12.2% | 126,042 | 22.1% |
| Prius c | 3,328 | -1.7% | n/a | 29,458 | n/a |
| Ford C-Max Hybrid | 3,038 | 213.5% | n/a | 4,007 | n/a |
| Toyota Camry | 2,986 | -19.4% | 796.7% | 37,277 | 455.2% |
| Prius v | 2,769 | -10.3% | 176.9 | 34,987 | 3,398.7% |
| Lexus ES Hybrid | 1,520 | 8.6% | n/a | 3,751 | n/a |
| Hyundai Sonata | 1,510 | -3.2% | -24.6% | 17,291 | 7.8% |
| Chevy Malibu Hybrid | 1,266 | -23.6% | n/a | 14,242 | 59,241.7% |
| Lexus CT 200h | 1,199 | 0.3% | -20.6% | 14,809 | 42.9% |
| Lexus RX400/450h | 997 | 5.6% | 15.8% | 9,858 | 15.1% |
| Buick LaCrosse | 978 | 16.4% | 229.3 | 10,467 | 3,424.2% |
| Ford Fusion | 956 | 6.5% | 11.6% | 9,022 | -4.1% |
| Kia Optima | 745 | -17.4% | n/a | 8,652 | 2,046.9% |
| Toy. Highlander | 466 | 12.8% | 95.0% | 4,848 | 32.3% |
| Linc. MKZ Hybrid | 465 | -40.5% | 2.5% | 5,464 | 13.1% |
| Honda Civic | 453 | -8.1% | -5.6% | 6,114 | 68.2% |
| Buick Regal | 287 | 38.0% | n/a | 2,172 | n/a |
| Honda Insight | 251 | 2.0% | -49.0% | 5,298 | -62.5% |
| Honda CR-Z | 244 | -27.2% | -15.6% | 3,705 | -64.6% |
| BMW ActiveHybrid5 (535ih) | 184 | 557.1% | n/a | 249 | n/a |
| Acura ILX | 144 | 2.9% | n/a | 679 | n/a |
| BMW Active Hybrid 3 (335ih) | 135 | 938% | n/a | 148 | |
| Porsche Cayenne | 106 | 26.2% | -0.9% | 988 | -26.4% |
| Lexus GS450h | 68 | -23.6% | 257.9% | 495 | 118.1% |
| Infiniti M35h | 66 | 46.7% | 100.0% | 544 | 95.7% |
| GMC Sierra | 56 | 600.0% | 1,300.0% | 156 | 6.8% |
| GMC Yukon Hybrid | 53 | 35.9% | 130.4% | 425 | -19.5% |
| Cad. Escalade | 51 | 18.6% | 70.0% | 565 | -20.4% |
| Porsche Panamera S | 48 | -44.2% | n/a | 457 | n/a |
| Chevy Tahoe | 42 | 50.0% | 20.0% | 416 | -7.8% |
| Audi Q5 Hybrid | 33 | 32.0 | n/a | 58 | |
| Chevy Silverado | 16 | -23.8% | -67.3% | 404 | -47.5% |
| VW Touareg Hybrid | 11 | 120.0% | -38.9% | 188 | -44.7% |
| Mercedes S400HV | 10 | 11.1% | 11.1% | 107 | -57.7% |
| Ford Escape | 9 | -88.9% | -98.4% | 1,338 | -83.0% |
| Lexus LS600hL | 5 | 400.0% | -37.5% | 46 | -34.3% |
| Altima | 3 | 0.0% | -93.9% | 102 | -96.8% |
| Lexus HS 250h | 3 | -62.5% | -98.5% | 644 | -73.0% |
| BMW Hybrid 7 | 2 | n/a | -77.8% | 220 | -16.0% |
| BMW X6 | -1 | n/a | -150.0% | 3 | -92.7% |
| Mercedes ML450 | 0 | 0.0% | n/a | 20 | 1,900.0% |
| Mazda Tribute | 0 | n/a | -100.0% | 90 | -78.2% |
| All hybrids | 33,290 | -9.2% | 73.7% | 355,806 | 67.8% |
| All vehicles | 1,087,334 | -8.2% | 6.8% | 11,949,690 | 13.8% |
October 2012 Plug-in Electric Car Sales Numbers
Plug-in cars sold in the U.S. (October 2012): 5,809
Plug-in Take-Rate: 0.65%
U.S. plug-in electric sales for October 2012
| Model | Units | vs. last month | vs. October 2011 | CYTD | vs. CYTD 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Volt | 2,961 | 3.9% | 167.2% | 19,309 | 285.9% |
| Prius PHV | 1,889 | 14.3% | n/a | 9,623 | n/a |
| Nissan Leaf | 1,579 | 60.5% | 86.0% | 6,791 | -15.6% |
| Tesla Model S | 250 (est.) | 66.7% | 56.0% | 500 (est.) | n/a |
| Ford C-MAX Energi | 144 | n/a | n/a | 144 | n/a |
| Ford Focus Electric | 118 | 100.0% | n/a | 346 | n/a |
| RAV4 EV | 47 | -23.0% | n/a | 108 | n/a |
| Mitsubishi i-MiEV | 30 | -16.7% | n/a | 469 | n/a |
| Honda Fit EV | 16 | 0.0% | n/a | 48 | n/a |
| Smart forTwo EV | 0 | -100.0% | n/a | 136 | 54.5% |
| BMW Active E | -2 | n/a | n/a | 671 | n/a |
| All plug-in cars | 7,032 | 21.1% | 256.2% | 38,145 | 189.9.2% |
| All vehicles | 1,087,334 | -8.2% | 6.8% | 11,949,690 | 13.8% |
October 2012 Natural Gas Car Sales Numbers
Natural Gas car sold in the U.S. (October 2012): 182
Plug-in Take-Rate: 0.02%
U.S. Natural Gas sales for October 2012
| Model | Units | vs. last month | vs. October 2011 | CYTD | vs. CYTD 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Civic Natural Gas | 182 | n/a | 1,018 | n/a | |
| All Natural Gas cars | 182 | -57.5% | n/a | 1,018 | n/a |
| All vehicles | 1,087,334 | -8.2% | 6.8% | 11,949,690 | 13.8% |
October 2012 Clean Diesel Car Sales Numbers
Clean Diesels sold in the U.S. (October 2012): 10,806
Diesel Take-Rate: 0.99%
U.S. clean diesel sales for October 2012
| Model | Units | vs. last month | vs. October 2011 | CYTD | vs. CYTD 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VW Jetta | 4,314 | -3.6% | 18.8% | 41,434 | -7.3% |
| VW Passat | 2,525 | -5.6% | 145.6 | 21,301 | 1,103.4% |
| BMW X5 | 806 | -3.9% | 75.2% | 8,324 | 51.6% |
| VW Golf | 768 | -15.8% | 8.2% | 8,682 | 4.8% |
| Mercedes GL320 | 613 | 102.3% | 25.2% | 4,926 | 15.9% |
| VW Touareg | 414 | -8.8% | 7.0% | 3,901 | 51.3% |
| Audi A3 | 293 | -34.2% | 59.2% | 3,458 | 14.8% |
| Audi Q7 | 288 | -15.5% | -4.6% | 2,597 | -18.7% |
| Porsche Cayenne | 238 | -9.5% | n/a | 800 | n/a |
| Mercedes ML320 | 204 | 78.9% | -78.9% | 4,251 | 24.2% |
| VW Beetle | 199 | 19.2% | 473 | n/a | |
| Mercedes E320 | 97 | 1,840.0% | -29.7% | 1,925 | -18.8% | Mercedes S350 | 35 | -10.3% | -52.7% | 678 | 816.2% |
| Mercedes R320 | 11 | 175.0% | -63.3% | 362 | -17.0% |
| BMW 335d | -1 | -150.0% | -99.6% | 710 | -75.8% |
| Jeep Gr Cherokee | 0 | n/a | -100.0% | - | -100.0% |
| All clean diesels | 10,806 | -2.1 | 21.2% | 103,822 | 25.6% |
| All vehicles | 1,087,334 | -8.2% | 6.8% | 11,949,690 | 13.8% |
