For the car manufacturers that have invested in green car tech (i.e. hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric drive) 2018 could see some better returns.
Edmunds has crunched the U.S. car sales numbers and estimates that this year the percentage of new cars sold with a full or part electrified powertrain will be around 3.2%.
Related: Toyota ramps up EV commitment
Next year, with a host of new hybrid and electric models coming to market, they reckon the percentage should increase to 4.4%.
What makes that percentage even more significant is that they are tipping that rise to come in a market that will be down overall compared to this year’s result.
Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds executive director of industry analysis, tells us sales of plug-in vehicles will double in 2018 (compared to this year), outselling traditional hybrids by the end of next year.
“Even if Tesla doesn’t meet its full production commitments for the Model 3 until mid-year, 2018 will still be a hallmark year for green vehicles,”
And driving the increased demand for EVs?
“The price of batteries is coming down, EV range is rising, and shoppers will have more choices than ever.”
But it won’t just be electrified vehicles that enjoy growth in 2018 says Jessica.
“Even though green cars will have a big moment in 2018, sales volumes will be largely driven by the continued growth in popularity of trucks and SUVs.
And she says 2018 is looking good for U.S. car buyers.
“Everyone is going to be fighting for a piece of a smaller pie.”
Related: Rural area EV take up expected to remain low
The U.S. predictions for 2018 are a long way ahead of Australian EV/hybrid sales.
VFACTS data shows that in November, just over 1% of the more than 100,000 new vehicles sold in the month had either a hybrid or electric powertrain.
Stay up to date with the latest electric vehicle developments in our Car News section.
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