Eco Fail: Hybrid SUVs Just Aren’t Selling

by Stephanie Rogers · View Comments

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Ah, sweet justice for the SUV. Detroit auto makers aren’t seeing the demand for hybrid SUVs that they thought would come this year as models like the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon were released. Only 1,100 have been sold since January, and the sales goal was 12,000 for the year, putting them pretty far behind.

The New York Times has it:

Giving a four-wheel drive Tahoe a gas-electric hybrid engine raises fuel economy for city driving to 20 miles a gallon from 14.

But to get the better mileage, consumers pay a high price: $53,000, at least $4,000 more than a conventional Tahoe.

Environmentalists see the jumbo hybrids as a small step forward in the effort to reduce America’s fuel consumption.

“Is this a green vehicle? I think it could be a lot greener,” said David Friedman, research director of the vehicles program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit group in Washington that focuses on the environment. “The question is whether the improvement in fuel economy is worth the cost.”

Hybrid or not, large S.U.V.’s are fading fast in a market that is shifting quickly to smaller cars and crossovers, S.U.V.-like vehicles built on a car chassis.

While the hybrid 20/21 MPG is certainly an improvement over the 14/20 the non-hybrid SUVs typically get, the fact is that the Toyota Prius gets 46 MPG currently, and a new model set to be released next year will get over 100. That makes paying the extra money for the hybrid SUV seem like a pretty big waste. Consumers aren’t willing to pony up the extra cash, and with SUVs losing popularity in general, hybrid SUVs are looking to go the way of New Coke.

Hybrid SUVs may be a tiny bit better for the environment than regular SUVs, but that doesn’t make them an eco-friendly option. We were a bit afraid that hybrid SUVs would make people think they could have their cake and eat it too, using the ‘hybrid’ angle to defend dumb shit like suburban housewives with 2 kids driving behemoth vehicles to the grocery store. So, we’re happy that hybrid SUVs are an ECO FAIL. Down with SUVs!

Link [The New York Times]
Photo credit: Mark Graham for the New York Times

Tagged as: Eco-Fail, Hybrid Cars, Hybrid SUVs, SUVs, Transportation

rent hybrid car

Well duh! It's not really an improvement to have a FSP (fuel sucking pig) go from 14 MPG to 20 MPG. Give me a car that I can haul 5 plus some reasonable storage and gets at least 40mpg and I will buy that all day long. 20mpg... give me a break!

Patrick

Jeff,

My 20mpg minivan hauls all my toys and gear and has MORE room than your SUV.

Marianne

What I really want is a hybrid minivan. We have 2 kids and 2 disabled grandparents to drive around and need a larger vehicle to do it. I have heard that hybrid minivans are sold in other countries, just not in the US. Why?????

Vince

Regarding the expression about cake...at some point isn't language defined by usage? And I don't buy the explanation at the wsu.edu link. The phrase works just fine if you interpret "have" as "possess". Contrary to that web page, if you want to confuse someone, use the "corrected" form of the expression. Better yet, say it to my teenage daughter and get ready for a "verbal shotgun blast". Then again, teens are never wrong.

I think we should all pitch in and get a Smart Car for Jeff. How bout a pretty one with pastel daisies on it? My wife would kill for one...or a Vespa for that matter. It's kinda odd that the Smart Car only averages about 40mpg though.

Bottom line on the hybrid SUVs...the added mpg is simply not worth the added cost. To reinforce my point, we had a down payment placed on a Prius. The total cost of the car was over $26,000. Having seen a Honda Civic that was rated for about 30mpg that was $10,000 less in price, I realized I'd never be able to recoup the added cost with the Prius even though it was supposed to get 50mpg. What's odd is that hearing the CEO of that division of Toyota say himself that the Prius was not worth the added cost (not a direct quote) did not stop me from wanting one.

I average 35mpg in my Civic Sedan in what I call "town" traffic (not bumper-to-bumper stuff) and a little bit more on the highway. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I bought the Civic!

Jackie

Stephanie: Good point. I'm just picky.

Jeff: Congratulations. Apparently you 1.) don't terrorize those of us in smaller vehicles, and 2.) actually put your SUV to good use. However, as Shea points out, you're in the minority. Perhaps MD/DC drivers are more aggressive in general, but I've definitely noticed that SUV drivers (at least in this area) try to dominate the road (tailgating, weaving through traffic, cutting others off, etc.). Take a friend's smaller vehicle for a ride and maybe you'll see what I see. When I've glanced over at this kind of SUV driver (the type that cuts me off so they can race up to nearest stop light), I don't see children in car seats or lots of ski and sports equipment in the back.

Stephanie Rogers

Yes - I have no problem with the very small percentage of people who actually, legitimately need SUVs or large pickups - like, people whose professions require them to lug a lot of gear around. However, the vast majority of SUV/truck owners have them just because they think they're cool.

Thom

Jeff, I am glad you enjoy your 15mpg gas guzzler. The argument you make is terrible, because realistically you are not camping or hauling a boat 95% of the time. In reality you are driving to and from work. But don't worry when the earth's gas tank runs out of petro, and it will run out. I'll wave as I and other drivers who drive efficient vehicles pass you by. Hope your not in the desert, I hear it gets kind of hot.

Shea Gunther

@Jeff Congrats, you belong to the 2% of SUV owners who actually need a big ass gas guzzler. You should put that on a shirt.

Jeff

I have owned an SUV for 20 yrs now and I have not terrorized anyone Jackie. Many of us have a lifestyle that requires a bigger vehicle and I am willing to pay for it. Just as you make a choice to drive a small vehicle, I choose to drive a mid size SUV that hauls all my ski gear, camping gear etc. Stop whining about SUV owners and enjoy your Prius as I will enjoy my 15mpg SUV.

Stephanie Rogers

lol - I think the error of that expression is so common that if I had written it the correct way, people would be correcting me. You're taught in journalism to write to the people, not to the select few who are highly educated and nitpicky about these sorts of things. It's hard to shake writing newspaper style once you've started.

Jackie

I hate SUVs. I always see their drivers terrorizing those of us drive smaller cars, and then I have to hear them complain about how they spent $70+ at the pump.

Also, I noticed the author of this piece used the expression: "have their cake and eat it too." The correct expression is actually "You can't eat your cake and have it too". http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/eatcake.html

Trixie

The reason Hybrid SUVs are failing is that they have focused on the wrong thing: power. The little Ford Hybrid SUVs that actually get good mileage, 34/30, I believe, and can still do the things SUVs were actually meant to do, like drive in snow and haul boats, sales are good. Chevy and Toyota have bargained that SUV drivers just wanted to feel better about their choice while driving ever more powerful, gas-guzzling vehicles. They bargained wrong, especially with gas prices going up and up.

Holly

SUVs suck. Really, that is all.

stereogirl

Every time I look up at the gas price sign I wonder how anyone can afford to drive at all anymore.

BBJJ

I don't get the whole animosity thing towards SUVs by people who don't drive them. Although I consider myself environmentally conscious, I absolutely need an SUV where I live, and I also plan on getting one that's a hybrid for my next purchase. The real issue is how much SUV do you need? There's a world of difference between a Suburban or a Hummer and a Honda CRV or Subaru Forester. Also, thanks HuffPo for the Green page - love it!