Hyperdrive
Prius Sales Are Falling, But Hybrids Are More Popular Than Ever
- Once-dominant Toyota model now lags Ford Fusion hybrid
- More affordable hybrids seen staying ahead of fully electrics
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The Toyota Prius, once revered as the greenest car on the road, has fallen on hard times. Sales are on a six-year losing streak, and now the previously preeminent eco-mobile has fallen behind the Ford Fusion hybrid -- a model its parent company plans to pull the plug on in a couple years.
“The Prius is the model that got us to where we are today; it led the charge to electrification, but now it’s facing so much competition,” said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting for researcher LMC Automotive. “The Fusion is having a little bit of a last hurrah to send it off on a higher note.”