The automotive market is undergoing a massive transition to electric vehicles (EVs), with most automotive OEMs planning to switch to electrified models by 2040.
However, gasoline-electric hybrid models are doing quiet well on their own after achieving record sales in the U.S. in 2021. According to a report from Reuters, hybrid vehicle sales jumped 76% to 801,550 vehicles last year. This accounted for 5% of the overall U.S. light vehicle sales.
That isn’t to say EVs didn’t also jump in sales as they did by 83% to 434,879, representing 3% of the market, according to data from Wards Intelligence.
Toyota overtook the hybrid car sales in the U.S., supplanting General Motors as the leader in this model for the year. Hybrids, plug-ins and fuel cells rose 73% for Toyota to 583,697 vehicles but most of these were hybrids.
Honda Motor Co. was the No. 2 hybrid car seller in the U.S. in 2021 with sales growing 67% compared to 2020 with 107,060 hybrid sales. Honda plans to launch its first EV for the U.S. market in 2024.
