A recent research conducted by CNW Marketing Research reveals that interior conveniences like heated seats and cup holders are higher in priority (73%) for car/SUV buyers than fuel efficiency (67%). Though fuel economy has been moving up the priority scale, it’s still not the foremost as Gasoline is still relatively cheap in the States due to the Government subsidy on fuel. Though companies are spending big money, sometimes upto $5,000-$7,000 per vehicle to meet new stricter fuel economy regulations, customers would not readily shell out the extra cash as it does not make financial sense for them. This is exactly the reason why hybrid sales havent picked up despite the whole hype on social responsibility and being ‘green’.

Buyers realise that at the existing gas prices, it would take them many years before which the incremental cost of a hybrid is recovered. Though people car about fuel efficiency they just don’t want to pay for it and dont want to sacrifice on horsepower, size, interior comforts, etc.