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Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, GMC Yukon Hybrid seeing lackluster sales despite hybrid vehicle popularity
With gasoline prices soaring to record levels,
hybrid vehicles are quickly becoming some of America's favorite vehicles. The
Toyota Prius hybrid is now the ninth best-selling vehicle in the U.S. and hybrid sales continue to climb month after month. But despite the recent popularity of hybrid vehicle and the former success of large
SUVs, U.S. consumers have yet to warm up to General Motors' full-size hybrid offerings — the
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and the
GMC Yukon Hybrid.
Since the two hybrids hit the market in January, GM has only managed to sell a combined 1,100 units — well off the predicted pace of 12,000 annual sales and just a fraction of the 100,000 hybrids sold in the U.S. since the beginning of the year, according to the
New York Times.
The Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and the GMC Yukon Hybrid don't fit the mold of a typical hybrid vehicle, but the added hybrid powertrain does improve city mileage by 50 percent — equaling the city mileage of a four-cylinder Toyota Camry. However, that improvement is not enough to get most buyers over the vehicles' high sticker prices.
In order to get into a hybrid Tahoe, buyers will have to plunk down at least $53,000 — $4,000 more than a comparable gasoline-only Tahoe. Although buyers will recoup that price difference in gas savings over five years — not including a $2,200 government rebate — most buyers find it hard to justify a sticker price that high. Gasoline Tahoes match their hybrid counterparts in highway mileage (20/22 mpg 4WD/2WD) but get about 6 to 7 mpg less in city driving — 13/14 compared to 20/21 (4WD/2WD).
Instead of coughing up the extra dough for a full-size hybrid
SUV, many buyers are opting for slightly less capable but equally gas-friendly — and much cheaper to buy — crossover vehicles. In fact,
Ford is banking on consumers making the switch from large SUVs to crossovers, even if hybrid versions are available. The U.S.' second largest automaker isn't planning to enter the full-size SUV hybrid segment but will rather offer the 24 mpg, seven-passenger Flex CUV.
Chrysler is planning strategy similar to GM and will launch two full-size hybrid SUVs later this year — the Chrysler Aspen Hybrid and
Dodge Durango Hybrid
