Honda Surpasses Toyota in California Car Sales

PORTLAND, Ore. - June 2, 2014 - PRLog -- For the first time since Toyota's Prius ascended the throne in 2012, there's a new king.
California sales of Honda's Accord surpassed sales of the Prius by about 300 units in the first three months of 2014, according to early figures published by the California New Car Dealers Association.

The Prius still technically outperforms the Accord Hybrid in fuel economy -- 50 miles per gallon for the Prius, against 47 mpg for the Accord Hybrid. But industry experts believe that buyers are now looking for more options in their hybrid vehicles.

Toyota's initial claim as the top-selling car in the California auto market was no surprise: the public demanded a hybrid, and Toyota delivered. "Toyota nailed it, and if you wanted a hybrid, you wanted a Prius," says Eli Pruett, president of Bumblebee Batteries. "The market is changing however, and consumers are always eager to own the latest and greatest."

Prius' design has remained essentially unchanged in its nearly 17 years of production. By contrast, in that same time period other hybrid models have gone through entire production cycles, from design to release to sales to retirement -- notably, the Honda Insight Hybrid, scheduled to be retired this year.

Most experts agree that the stagnancy of the Prius design has hurt their dominance in the market. While the model set the standard for hybrid cars, providing owners with an easily-visible status symbol of "going green," other companies have been busy coming up with a hybrid car that delivers more.

"If Honda has found the magic formula that causes people to want an automobile, we will see more Honda hybrids being sold," says Pruett. "It’s similar to the magic formula that creates a hit song, TV show, or even viral video. It’s hard to put your finger on, but there's unanimous harmony -- and when it happens, it happens big... This may just be a sign that Honda has finally nailed it."

As more hybrid options flood the market, some of the lesser-known difficulties of hybrid vehicles become more apparent. "The systems are complicated," admits Pruett, whose company specializes in servicing hybrid vehicles and educating hybrid drivers. "The suggested hybrid usage patterns, like ensuring the car is driven every day, are pretty out of the norm compared to what people are used to."

Pruett stresses that daily driving of a hybrid vehicle is essential for maximum performance and efficiency. "This helps keep the battery in balance through the car's charge-and-discharge routines. When the battery is allowed to sit unused, the individual cells can self-discharge at different rates, resulting in an out-of-balance battery."
As hybrid options and education continue to keep pace with availability and innovations, what once seemed like a green movement novelty is becoming more and more of an industry standard.

"Hybrids and electric vehicles are finally here to stay," says Pruett.

Bumblebee Batteries is located at 11918 SE Division Street #290 in Portland, OR. You can learn more information about the company at www.bumblebeebatteries.com