2013 was the best year for the auto industry since 2007, with sales totaling well above 15 million. It’s a big turnaround from 2009, when the industry bottomed out with just 10.5 million cars and trucks being sold.
U.S. sales of plug-in electric vehicles in 2013 jumped 84 percent over 2012 to more than 96,000, and the numbers seem likely to grow again this year. That’s a healthy jump from 2012, when about 53,000 plug-in electric vehicles were sold.
The year 2014 will undoubtedly see the continuation of the on-going plug-in electric revolution, with yet more well known brands bringing electric vehicles to the market.
In 2013, automakers sold nearly 49,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles — up 27 percent over 2012 — and 47,600 all-electric vehicles — up 241 percent.
The rise has been fueled by a big jump in Tesla Model S sales, which sold about 18,000 in 2013.
The Chevrolet Volt finished 2013 as the best-selling plug-in electric vehicle with 23,094 units delivered compared to the Nissan LEAF’s 22,610 units.
The price cuts also helped spur additional sales.
Mitsubishi said in December that the 2014 Mitsubishi i-MiEV will start at $22,995 including CHAdeMO DC quick charge port when it goes on sale next spring, representing a $6,130 reduction from the starting price of the 2012 model that preceded it.
Toyota announced in September it is cutting the price of the 2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid by more than $2,000. General Motors Co. said in August it was cutting the price of its plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt by $5,000. The price cut came shortly after the automaker announced a $5,000 incentive on the 2012 Volt and $4,000 on the 2013 model.
In July, Ford said it would reduce the price of its low-selling Focus EV by $4,000 for the 2014 model year. The old price of the Focus EV was $39,200; the new price is $35,200. Ford also offered lease discounts of more than $10,000 and $2,000 off the base price for cash purchases.
Sales of Nissan’s all-electric Leaf have jumped since the Japanese automaker dropped the base price by 18 percent, to $28,800 for the 2013 model year. Nissan also added extra cargo room, and for higher-end trims, an on-board charger that reduces electric charging times by half.
Honda announced in May it was cutting the monthly lease price of its Fit EV from $389 to $259 a month and reduce by $130 a month the cost of existing Fit EV leases. The revised lease has unlimited mileage.
