Best-selling hybrids of Q1, 2009 Video

Best-selling hybrids of Q1, 2009 Video Transcript

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>> Brian Cooley: Welcome to CNET top 5. I'm Brian Cooley stepping in for Dr. Tom Merritt with a car related top 5 because well you know he's not really a car guy. Now everyone knows the Prius is the hottest selling hybrid of all time. But take out that obvious choice and then what are the top 5 best selling hybrids? Didn't seen that coming did you? Let's count em down. Number 5: The Toyota Kluger Hybrid, yeah you know it's the highlander here in the US but due to a trademark dispute with Hyundai in other countries it carries the flem inspired moniker of Kluger generally. Whatever you call it, it sold about 33 copies a day or 2,977 total units in Q1 of this year, which brings us to number 4 and we stay in the small SUV territory with the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. Those twins sold 3,526 copies in Q1. It's one of the oldest hybrid models on the market going back some 4 years or so and now having sold over 100,000 cars total since launch. By the way, the Escape and Mariner Hybrids are the most fuel efficient SUVs on the market. Number 3: we're still in SUV territory here. Think it's a guilt thing? It's the Lexus RX 400H. That's the most expensive ride in our top 5 list by the way at 43 grand base. In spite of that 4,223 of these guys rolled off the lot first quarter. Number 2: We finally have a car; the Honda Civic Hybrid. Now Civics have always stood for economy and the hybrid versions 45 mpg highway does nothing to screw with that notion. Result: 5307 sold in Q1. By the way if you think Honda can do no wrong think back to the Accord Hybrid. One of the biggest market disasters in hybrid history before Honda stuck a fork in it back in summer of 07. Now before I reveal the number 1 selling hybrid that isn't the Prius let's get a look at the states that love hybrids the most and no California is not number 1. In fact Washington State is where you'll find the most hybrids per capita followed by Washington D.C, then California, Colorado and the not entirely expected Minnesota. But across all those places the number 1 selling hybrid that isn't the Prius is that paragon of automotive sobriety, the car nobody can ever fault you for buying but screams to the world, I'm into cars about as much as Tom Merritt, the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Yep another one from Toyota. The Camry sold a healthy 5,775 units in Q1. Oh and by the way the Prius, the number 1 hybrid, it's sales were off 43% in Q1 and it still sold over 24,000 units in that period. Yeah nothing really comes close. It's kind of a 1 car industry. Well that's it for this edition of top 5. Check out all of CNET's car reviews by the way at cars.cnet.com. I'm Brian Cooley. Thanks for watching. [ Music ]