7.28.2008 9:26 AM

Even Prius Can't Save Toyota Amid SUV Slump

As Americans Drive Less and Burn Less Fuel, Sales Plummet

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If you must drive, replace your gas guzzler with a fuel-efficient model. The most fuel-efficient car, several years running has been the hybrid Toyota Prius, which gets 50 mpg. But new electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt get the equivalent of 100 mpg. The least fuel-efficient 2011 SUVs, the Chevrolet Suburban and the GMC Yukon, get about 12.

If you swapped that gas-guzzler for an electric car, it would be like shaving more than $3,000 from your annual fuel bill. The cost of an average commute in a Prius is about $1 at current gas prices, versus about $4 in one of those SUVs. In other words, you'll go almost four times as far on a tank of gas in the Prius, so the $3.19 you pay to fill your SUV is like paying $0.80 in the Prius.

If you're buying a new car, consult The Daily Green's list of the most fuel-efficient cars and SUVs, or invest in a reliable fuel-efficient used car.

Photo: Toyota

By Dan Shapley

Toyota can't keep its hybrid Prius and other fuel-efficient models on the lot, a fact well known to Detroit automakers which have watched the Japanese company's prescient investment in fuel-efficiency pay off.

But even Toyota hasn't been shielded from the effects of gas selling for $4-plus a gallon. Toyota announced today that it expects sales to dip 1% in 2008, the first decline in seven years, according to Reuters.

The Prius brand may help define Toyota as a fuel-efficient car maker, but its bread and butter has been, like other automakers, big gas guzzlers like the Highlander and Sequoia.

With buyers seeing the high cost of investing in a high-consumption vehicle, Toyota isn't immune to the economic ripple spawned by the high cost of oil. The silver lining, of course, is that car companies can invest more in fuel efficiency, and serve the new demand for low-consumption cars.

In the meantime, drive your car a little more efficiently. See The Daily Green's 10 Ways to Save 20% on Gas Every Day or How to Spend $1 Per Gallon (or Less) on Gas.

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