How popular are hybrid cars in Canada?

When hybrid cars were first introduced in Canada, the resulting sales were not anywhere near as successful as they were in other parts of the world. In fact, Toyota only sold 2,300 hybrid units in 2005. Slowly but surely, however, Toyota was able to build its momentum and doubled its sales the following year, having sold around 5,873 units in Canada in 2006. In 2008, it was revealed that they were selling more Toyota Prius units in a month that they did for the first three years when it was introduced in 2000.





By 2009, the redesigned Toyota Prius was pitted against the Honda Insight in what was considered a turning point in the hybrid car market competition in Canada. Although the Prius easily beat the Insight, both came out as winners - as there was more publicity for hybrid cars than ever before. At the end of 2009, the sales of hybrid vehicles of Toyota reached the 2 million mark, with 42,289 hybrid units sold in Canada alone.





While the Toyota boasts a growing presence in the Canadian market, Honda sales are less than satisfactory. In the first seven months of 2010, Honda had reportedly sold only 3,728 Civic Hybrid units and 12,115 Insight units - which prompted strong rumors that Honda will stop selling both hybrid models in Canada altogether. Despite the lackluster sales of the Honda hybrids though, these rumors were put to rest as Honda Canada has continued selling them.

Compared to the sales of hybrid cars in the US, Canada is lagging behind. The cold weather is largely to blame, as it negatively affects the winter mileage and the performance of hybrids. In other words, a lot of hybrid cars in the market just aren’t realistically fit for the Canadian lifestyle. But rather than backing down, Toyota has made this an opportunity to develop hybrid cars that’s battery performance won’t be affected by the cold weather. As a matter of fact, Toyota has built its own Global Weather Research Center in Northern Ontario and plans to release the Prius Plug-in Hybrid between 2012 and 2014.





With the rising popularity of hybrid cars in Canada, other companies are slowly catching on. Jaguar, as a matter of fact, is planning to build a million-dollar hybrid supercar. Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, promises to take advantage of hydrogen technology and produce a zero-emissions hydrogen-powered car by 2013. Combined fuel efficiency, cost effective maintenance and affordable auto glass repair mean that the incentives to purchase should further the growth of this niche market.





Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.