Sale of hybrid cars is on a decline in the U.S. in recent years. With lower gas prices, hybrid sales have dropped some more in the ongoing year. When on a hunt for hybrid vehicle people mostly turn to Toyota Prius but since many are not that much into hybrids, it is often a case that they don’t know all the options that are offered for them. If you tell people that there is Audi Q5 hybrid they won’t believe you on your word. The main reason is that people are unfamiliar with all models on the market and with the fact that most of the car manufacturers offer hybrids in their lineups. Low fuel price and people’s distrust in no-Prius vehicles made many companies discontinue their offerings. Just to name few, there is Cadillac ELR, VW Jetta Hybrid, Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid, Buick Regal eAssist, BMW’s ActiveHybrid 3, 5 and 7-Series, Nissan Murano Hybrid, Honda CR-Z, Lexus LS600hL and Buick LaCrosse eAssist. Some of these are still on the market but won’t see the light of the day as 2017 MY.
Here is a list of least popular hybrids that were sold in the America.
15.Honda CR-Z Hybrid
The Honda CR-Z didn’t achieve the sales that were expected of it. The intention was it to be more desirable than the competition by being the only manual transmission hybrid on the market. Small, two-seater hatchback was using Honda’s older Integrated Motor Assist system which couldn’t provide fuel economy even of the larger Accord Hybrid model. There will be no CR-Z after this year, at least not with this type of powertrain. Honda might consider to launch it as a gasoline-only model. That sounds like a good idea since we could see few tuned versions and we really liked the fact of the sporty body in combination with a lot more power.
Base price for this model is $21,130, and it comes with both manual and automatic transmission. According to EPA it mpg is 35-38 city/highway for automatic and 31-37 city/highway for the manual. So far there are 1,864 units sold through September of this year.
14. Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid
So far, in this year Cayenne E-Hybrid has already doubled its figures compared to the entire last year. This is attributed to Porsche not offering a diesel option for this year’s model. Despite it’s better selling than ever Cayenne E-Hybrid is just not as attractive to its shoppers as other models in the lineup.
Base price for this model is $79,750. According to EPA, it can go 14 miles on electric power while returning 46 mpg when working as regular hybrid and 22 mpg on gas only. During this year it has 1,697 units sold which is 14.7% of total Cayenne sales.
13. Volvo XC90 T8
There aren’t many things not to love abut Volvo’s XC90 model but T8 ‘’Twin Engine’’ plug-in-hybrid version is definitely one of them. Swedish car manufacturer just didn’t achieve harmony with this model. It offers short electric range, fuel economy is not much better than the regular gasoline version, but the price is much higher. It’s $16,000 more than its gasoline-powered brother, while it does not offer improvements worth that much.
Starting price is $72,795 and for that price you get 14 miles EV, 54 mpg combined gas-electric and 25mpg combined gas only. XC90 plug-in hybrid takes 6.1% of total XC90 sales. Until September of this year, Volvo managed to send out 1,483 models.
12. BMW i8
Main reason for this model being on this list is its inaccessibility to regular people who buy hybrids. This is a sports car that comes with two electric motors and one 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine. With its impeccable design, it is offered at a price of $141,695. That’s why i8 is a dream for many but reality for just a few. It provides 15 miles EV, 76 mpg combined gas-electric efficiency and 28mpg gas only. 1089 units are sold by September of this year.
11.Buick Lacrosse eAssist
There will be no Buick LaCrosse eAssist for the 2017 MY. This year’s model signals the end for one of the last GM’s mild hybrids. The interesting thing about this model is that it can’t even move the car solely on electric power. The battery pack is so small that it only helps the four-cylinder engine to ignite. LaCrosse eAssist saves the gas by offering smaller tank and taller final-drive ratio. Compared to V6 18/28mpg consumption on standard LaCrosse it offers a decent saving. Price for eAssist LaCrosse is set to $34,735. In return, it manages 24/35 mpg city/highway. With 655 models sold in 2016, eAssist occupies 3.3% of LaCrosse sales.
10. Infiniti Q50 Hybrid
Being a luxury brand, Infiniti should offer driving pleasure of highest level. This is not the case with Q50 hybrid. Regenerative brakes and electric steering are a little too edgy, but they sit well with car’s comfort and 26 mpg fuel consumption. The later is especially improved in comparison to standard V6 and even to the four-cylinder engine. On the latest model, Direct Adaptive Steering has been enhanced, so this car surely deserves second chance on the market. The tricky part is, it represents its own competitor with a regular Q50 model in the lineup and new Red Sport 400 edition. Infiniti Q50 comes with a price tag of $47,955 for RWD and $49,955 for AWD. Mileage is according to EPA 28/33 mpg city/highway for RWD and 27/30mpg for AWD. This year’s sales stand at 622 cars sold, and it takes 2.0% of entire Q50 units sold.
9. Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid
This is another model that is competing with itself. Buyers are more attracted to Panamera GTS and Panamera Turbo than to its hybrid counterpart. Another reason for low sales of this version is the price that hybrid buyers find it to be very high. It is offered at the same level as regular petrol six-cylinder powered Panamera, so people often opt for a standard model. The powertrain of hybrid Panamera consists of the supercharged 416hp V6 engine combined with electric motors. It is rumored that 2018 Panamera will have all wheel drive and more speed added to it. As far as current model goes its price is $94,250 and manages 16 miles in EV mode, returning 51 MPG combined and 25 MPG gas-only. With 261 models sold during this year, it takes 7.8% of all Panamera’s sold.
8. Mercedes-Benz S550e
Every S-Class Benz comes with a high price tag, and so does this one. But, considering that this is a hybrid the price is not that exaggerated. Actually, it comes on the same level as the standard model. Battery pack adds extra weight, so it’s not same as the regular version regarding performance. Price remains the same, and that is the most important part of the story. 2016 model of S550e is a plug-in hybrid that comes with a twin-turbo V6 and large 8.7 kWh battery. It’s not much more efficient from standard version too, but it offers electric power option, and that is the main difference. Price stands at $97,525 for a piece, and EPA posted results of 14 miles in EV mode, 58 mpg gas-electric and 26 mpg only gas. Until now there are 241 units sold and it takes 1.8% of entire S-Class sales.
7.Acura RLX Sport Hybrid
You can say that RLX Sport Hybrid was a guinea pig for NSX model. The most important thing that was tested was torque vectoring across rear axle produced by dual electric motors. The third electric motor is positioned up front helping out the 3.5-liter V6 that is mated to seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Sale of this model is going very well for Honda as its accounted for 15.0% of total RLX figures and it stands at 158 models sold trough September. The price tag is followed by everything that this car offers and it currently is $60,890. EPA mileage is 28/31 mpg city/highway.
6. Infiniti QX60 Hybrid
Many people believe that this model is being discontinued and that it will be no more. Nissan denied this, but the fact is that QX60 Hybrid is being manufactured in Smyrna plant in Tennessee only for the Chinese market and by special orders in the USA. Price for Hybrid goes way up compared to the regular model despite the fact it only offers a little bit more efficiency and nothing more. The engine that powers it is the 2.5-liter supercharged four-cylinder, and it’s not reason enough to buy this model. Price is $53,045 for FWD and $54,445 for AWD. It manages 26/28 mpg city/highway on FWD and 25/28 mpg city/highway on AWD. With only 78 pieces sold through September, it takes 0.3% of entire QX60 sales.
5. Lexus GS450h
Many of the mid-size family sedans can offer 35-plus mpg on the highway but luxury ones that can are rare. GS450h with its 29/34 mpg city/highway offers just that or at least is very close to that. This mileage is quite an improvement over regular V6 GS350 20/28mpg and on GS200t 22/32mpg. This hybrid also comes in F Sport trim. The negative sides of this model are that it comes only in RWD and with price higher by $13,000 compared to the GS350. Price for the base model of GS450h is $64,610, and it occupies 0.6% of sales of entire GS range with 63 units sold through September 2016.
4. Mercedes-Benz GLE550e 4Matic
You all thought that 550 badge means the inclusion of V8 engine, but that’s not the case here. Brand new GLE550e uses GLE400’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 mated to an electric motor, and they together produce 436 hp and have around 12 miles of all-electric range. Through September Mercedes sold only 54 cars while their main rival BMW sold 4600 plug-in-hybrid X5 models. The main problem is the fact that their car doesn’t look too appealing to customers. It comes with a price tag of $67,225 and with it comes 12 miles electric range, 43 mpg on gas-electric combined and 21 mpg only on gas. With only 0.1% of all GLE sales, we can say that GLE550e is one of the least selling Mercedes models.
3. Lexus LS600hL
When you look at the LS600hL, you expect a V12 powertrain that is torque-rich ad lovely to drive. This kind of engines can be found on Mercedes S-Class and BMW 750Li but not on the ongoing LS600hL. It was an idea back in the day but since the car debuted in 2008 such powerplants didn’t find its way to the LS lineup. With engines currently being used, this vehicle doesn’t get any of the hybrid car advantages nor in comfort nor fuel efficiency but is being priced like it does. The base model is set to staggering $121,415. Despite all of this, this vehicle could find its place on the market, but the question of the outdated design wasn’t addressed, so it managed to sell only 36 units through September. It has 19/23 city/highway mpg, and it takes 0.9% of all LS sales.
2. Infinity Q70 Hybrid
Q70 that was formerly known as M35h is famous for its gas pedal that pushes against your foot if you wish to engage both 3.5-liter V6 engine and 67hp electric motor. This car excels in fuel economy compared to its regular version. It offers 29/33 mpg city/highway while standard model offers only 18/25 mpg. Another advantage is a real seven-speed automatic transmission which is not a common phenomenon in hybrid genre. The main disadvantage of this vehicle lies in its customers. People who have money to buy mid-size luxury sedan have it also to buy fuel and usually don’t care all that much about efficiency. This model comes with a hefty price tag of $56,805, and that is one of the main reasons that Infiniti sold only 24 cars through September. Compared to total number it represents 0.5% of total Q70 sales.
1.Audi Q5 Hybrid
Before the Volkswagen diesel scandal, German carmakers didn’t pay much attention to hybrids. Companies that formed Volkswagen group were, in particular, neglective towards hybrids. This offers an explanation to why was Audi’s Q5 Hybrid selling so badly. Through this year until September they sold only 18 units. Compared to their SQ5 model which sold 2325 units so far you can tell that people are not interested in this hybrid. Obviously, buyers of Q5 prefer 3.0-liter V6 in SQ5. The hybrid version comes with a price of $53,425 with EPA mileage 24/30 mpg city/highway. With only 18 units sold it consumes 0.1% of total Q5 sales.
