Sales of hybrid vehicles in Western Australia have almost doubled on last year for the year to date, as 4WD and sports utility vehicles fall out of favour with buyers across Australia and overseas.
Sales of hybrid vehicles in Western Australia have almost doubled on last year for the year to date, as 4WD and sports utility vehicles fall out of favour with buyers across Australia and overseas.
Leading the charge is the commercial and government sector, with the increased uptake of hybrid cars for inclusion in fleets and pool vehicles.
But while sales of the environmentally friendly vehicles have risen, hybrid car sales still make up just more than 1.5 per cent of total vehicle sales.
The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid remain the country’s top selling hybrid vehicles, with the Prius selling at a rate of about 10 cars per month in WA.
There have also been two recent additions to the state’s hybrid offering, with the introduction of the Lexus RX400h, the world’s first luxury hybrid SUV, and the Lexus GS450h, a luxury hybrid sedan, to the Perth Lexus dealership.
Toyota WA sales and training manager Lyndsey Taylor said Toyota Prius sales had been steady in recent years, with the corporate and government market performing the strongest.
But with the drop in petrol prices from the record highs experienced 18 months ago, the spike in interest from private buyers for fuel efficiency reasons has tapered off.
The well-publicised waiting lists of, in some cases, up to six months for cars on order have also gone, with stock now arriving on a more regular basis, bringing wait times back to about one month.
“When the petrol price rose it gave sales a bit of a hike, but now that it’s steady at around $1.20 per litre people are getting used to it,” Mr Taylor said.
The principal motivator for most corporate clients to buy a Prius was environmental, he said, whereas private buyers were attracted by the car’s fuel economy.
But price still remains a big driver. With the average price of a new model Prius in the order of $37,000, Mr Taylor said there should be an added incentive for consumers to buy hybrid vehicles.
Concessions on stamp duty and sales tax could be a viable option, similar to those offered to gas-powered cars.
KPMG automotive partner David Gelb believes the most likely reasons behind the relatively low sales figures may be the price of hybrids, the small number of vehicles being produced and the possible long lead time of cars on order.
Mr Gelb estimated there were only about 5,000 hybrid cars available for sale each year in Australia, all of which are manufactured overseas.
While launching KPMG’s annual global automotive industry survey last month, Mr Gelb urged the government to introduce more incentives for research and development into fuel efficiency and carbon-friendly alternatives, and to encourage manufacturers to produce hybrids locally.
He said Australian manufacturers had a real opportunity to take advantage of the increasing demand of hybrid vehicles.
In all, 83 percent of executives surveyed believed hybrids were the most likely vehicle type to increase market share over the next five years.
“Because of the infancy of the technology, with any emerging technology any support from government sends the right message to industry,” Mr Gelb said.
