Lame Or Unwanted?

And is there is a difference? Is the Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner hybrid duo a bad hybrid or do people just not want a hybrid SUV? Why can't Ford move more of these? AutoWeek reports: Ford extends 0% financing on hybrids to entire U.S. Now, if fairness to FoMoCo, sales are up 7.3% over first quarter of 2005, but the incentives must have helped move that number.

Sales for hybrid SUVs in March:

Ford Escape: 3,475
Mercury Mariner: (couldn't find this... any help, folks?)
Lexus RX400h: 2,470

We're actually pretty impressed with Lexus because the RX400h has no super-financing-action and costs about 55% more than the Ford, so how did little Lexus manage to sell so many of these dealies? For the record, we think hybrid SUVs are pretty lame. In fact, we think most SUVs are pretty lame. If we were going to buy one, however, we'd look at the new GM things or the good ol' Honda Pilot. They look pretty swank.

Comments

[Geotpf]

Couple things:

1. You forgot sales of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid (2,987).

2. I found a source that says the combined sales of the Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid were only 1,590. This source has previous months of the two broken down seperately, with the Mariner only selling about 100 units a month. Checking your link, the text says "Through March", sales were 3,475-not "In March" (that is, 3,475 sold in Jan Feb Mar combined). Through a little arithmetic (adding Jan and Feb sales plus the combined Mar sales, and subtracting the total Escape-only sales), it appears that March sales of the Mariner were 149.

http://www.hybridcars.com/sales-numbers.html

[Joel A]

The reason Lexus sold so well versus the Escape and Mariner is that Toyota sold based on emotion and Ford based on logic. That is, it's more logically to make a hybrid version of a vehicle that traditionally gets lower mileage than a car. Toyota sold RX's based on image and American's desire for power without compromise.

Huh. Maybe I've been watching too much VH1 lately.

[Intake Runner]

The Escape was lame to begin with. The Lexus gets by on primarily, well, being a Lexus, and however you feel about them, they have a pretty cool look.

The Escape is just a boring little trucklet. There's no extra pizzaz to get you to hop on board for a hybrid. Look the Freestyle. I haven't seen a car that boring looking since the Plymouth Reliant. Snore.

If it wasn't for the potential to send the U.S. economy spiraling into oblivion, I'd say Ford deserves everything it gets. Why is so hard to understand? A simple combination of styling, equipment, performance and reliability. That's all it takes.

[Nate Wesley]

Wouldn't it have been smarter for Ford to make the Focus a hybrid instead of the Escape? Compacts and subcompacts are starting to get hot again...and though the Focus desperately needs a revamping, adding a hybrid version would've seemed to be a better proposition.

[Igor]

Actually there was an article some weeks ago when ford announced the DC/Cali deals on the Escape/marine H , that the sales of all larget ybrids are slowing down... .including Accord..

and finally.. the RX400h is not comparable to Escape.. it is Edge/MKX class...

Igor