More people bought an electric car in the third quarter than in the second, even though slightly fewer people considered buying one. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) still earn a serious look from more new car shoppers than electric vehicles (EVs) do.
The numbers suggest that EV shoppers may be a unique breed and pursue different shopping strategies than traditional buyers of hybrids or pure combustion-powered vehicles. They’re more likely to know what they want, and they research fewer options.
For the first nine months this year, Toyota accounted for nearly half of all hybrids sold in the U.S. The Japanese automaker sold 100,000 hybrids last quarter. But it has been hit harder by inventory shortages than any other major automaker — it probably could have sold many more if it had them in stock.
