HEVs CAPTURE 2.8% OF U.S. MARKET

摘要

Buoyed by rising year-end sales, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) captured an all-time high of 2.8 percent of total automobile sales in the United States (U.S.) in 2009. Preliminary sales figures reported by major automakers indicate total HEV sales of roughly 290,300 vehicles in 2009. HEV sales in 2009 experienced their second consecutive annual decline, dropping 7.8 percent after an 8.2 percent decrease in 2008. Previously, HEV sales experienced eight years of consecutive double digit percentage growth in the U.S. Peak U.S. HEV sales occurred in 2007, when 344,000 were sold. The graph in the "Tracking U.S. HEV Sales Growth" sidebar on page 2 shows the steady growth in U.S. HEV sales from their introduction late in 1999 through 2007, followed by the declines in 2008 and 2009.