Car executives expect hybrid and electric vehicles to be biggest growth sectors in next five years - industry survey
Sat 15 January 2011
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The latest Global Automotive Executive Survey from KPMG shows that most respondents expect hybrid and electric vehicles to show the biggest growth in any vehicle category over the next five years. The survey also showed a big rise in the importance of fuel efficiency as a purchase criteria. Meanwhile, Toyota says that its hybrid car models broke sales records in Europe and Japan in 2010.
KPMG's Global Automotive Executive Survey 2011 shows 84 per cent of respondents expect an increase in sales of hybrid vehicles this year
and also believe that hybrids and electric cars will enjoy the biggest growth of any vehicle category over the next five years. Most respondents, however, expect a continuing role for government subsidies to make electric cars affordable for car buyers.
KPMG's Global Automotive Executive Survey 2011 involved interviews with 200 senior executives from the world's automotive companies, including car makers, suppliers and dealers.
“This survey is a predictor of change,” said Dieter Becker, KPMG’s Global Head of Automotive. “In 2004, fuel efficiency was forecast to rise among consumer purchase criteria; today, fuel efficiency is the number one consumer concern.”
Many respondents to the survey said, however, that they expect a continued role for government in helping develop the market for electric cars as they do not expect them to be affordable without subsidies any time soon.
Meanwhile, Toyota Europe has announced that it sold more hybrid vehicles than ever in 2010, despite challenging market conditions across the car industry. Toyota said that its hybrid vehicle sales reached an all-time high of 70,529 units, up 29 per cent from 2009 against the backdrop of an otherwise sluggish car market.
The figures, which cover all of western, central and eastern Europe, including Turkey and Russia, revealed particularly strong demand for the Auris Hybrid, which began production in Derby in June last year and emits 89g carbon dioxide per kilometre. Toyota had sold 15,237 Auris cars by the end of the year, nine per cent more than its initial target of 14,000 units. The company said it now hopes to sell 30,000 units in 2011.
Toyota also sold more than 315,000 units of the Prius gas-electric hybrid in Japan in 2010, making the car the nation’s best-selling vehicle for a single year. The previous annual record, held by Toyota's Corolla, was about 300,000 units of sales in 1990.
Toyota has said that it plans to launch hybrid versions of all of its models by 2020 and aims to start selling plug-in hybrids and all-electric models in 2012. It is also aiming to launch hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2015.
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