Diesel Sales
November: The happy-days-are-here-again, maybe, Edition
Chevy Volt, Ford Focus Hybrid, Nissan Leaf all had strong sales in November.
April 2016: The Weather Got A Little Warmer Edition
While April green-car sales were down 17 percent, demand was about even when factoring out impact of VW's diesel stop-sale.
February 2016: The did-it-or-didn't-it? Edition
Strong Tesla, Chevrolet Volt sales can't save February from a green-car sales drop-off.
2015: The 'Is-this-the-new-normal?' Edition
Sales of hybrids, plug-ins and diesels all stalled last year as customers awaited new models, responded to lower gas prices.
December 2015: The was-it-or-wasn't-it edition
December green-car sales were pushed forward by Tesla, pulled back by Volkswagen.
September 2015: If-it-wasn't-for-them-stinking-diesels Edition
September green-car sales fall a bit as diesel scandal throws numbers off.
August 2015: Help-wanted edition
August's US green-car sales plunged 22 percent from a year earlier to about 50,000 vehicles.
July 2015: The real-dog-days edition
July green-car sales tumble almost 16 percent from a year earlier, as public waits for new hybrid, plug-in variants.
May 2015: The-hits-just-keep-on-coming edition
May 2015 US green-car sales fall 19 percent from a year earlier as Toyota, Nissan and Ford report big declines.
March 2015: The why bother edition
Lower demand for hybrids, EVs again push down US green-car sales from year-earlier numbers
January 2015: The Happy Blue Year Edition
US green-car vehicle sales in January fell 8.6 percent from a year earlier, as Ford, General Motors falter.
2014: A year that will live in infamy? Edition
US green-car sales in 2014 fell 6.5 percent from a year earlier as gas prices plunge. December green-car sales fall 7.8 percent.
November 2014: The not-so-down-is-the-new-up edition
Last month, Nissan and BMW helped stem a disconcerting (for green-car watchers, at least) trend of declining year-over-year sales, as increased demand for the Japanese and German automakers' plug-in models made November slightly less painful than October. The year-over year decline of hybrid, plug-in and diesel sales narrowed to 10 percent in November from 13 percent in October, as Americans bought more th
September 2014: A tiny-step-in-the-right-direction edition
Fans of small victories will appreciate the "progress" that Americans made with their purchases of green-car vehicles last month. Automakers and everyone else, though, will scratch their heads. That's because green-car sales had their fourth straight down month in September, as Americans purchased about 42,000 hybrids, plug-ins and diesels last month. And while the deficit compared to last year wasn't as steep as August's 11 percen
July 2014: Summertime blues edition
Heaven help the analyst trying to get a handle on year-over-year green-car sales numbers, because there is little rhyme or reason to them. Just when one would think the usual summertime bump in gas prices may spur more Americans to buy hybrids, plug-ins or diesels, the industry turns in another down month in July.
US diesel vehicle sales are up 25% this year
Going against popular perception, diesel vehicles are showing some pretty good pickup. The context, of course, is US sales of oil-burners. And those sales are on the rise as more Americans look to cut refueling costs via more fuel-efficient vehicles.
June 2014: The looks-can-be-deceiving edition
We have to blame the VW oil burners and Malibu mild-hybrids.
Here's where green cars are the most popular
As we've already learned, 2013 was a pretty big year for diesel and hybrid sales. According to registration data, there are now 7 million diesel passenger vehicles and 2.8 million hybrids on the roads in the US. Diesel registrations grew by 410,040 last year, and hybrids increased by 531,385. From 2010 to 2013, John Beltz Snyder
May 2014: Good-news-just-got-better edition
Advanced-powertrain vehicle sales continued to warm up with the weather, as Americans in May stepped up their purchases of hybrids, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and diesels.
March 2014: The 'Even Is The New Up' Edition
"Now and again, I get the feeling, well if I don't win, I'm gonna break even," Tom Petty sang on his 1994 nugget You Wreck Me. And while we're not out to wreck any hybrids or electric vehicles, it's safe to say that the sentiment of that lyric is an appropriate one when analyzing last month's green-car sales.