Next week marks the two year anniversary of HybridSUV.com, our first hybrid vehicle blog launched under the Hybrid Kingdom. It is hard to believe that what started with a simple announcement and a commitment to bring our readers the most up to date information on hybrid sport utility vehicles, today includes more than 50 hybrid and electric vehicle websites.
To say that hybrid SUV’s have had their fair share of ups and downs over the past couple of years would be an understatement. Looking back at the nearly 100 posts since we first went live in 2007, it is interesting to watch these vehicles as they have progressed from being relatively unknown, to being labeled by some as an oxymoron, to surging in popularity with a dozen models available by 2008.
On top of that, the wild ride we’ve seen in changing gas prices has arguably impacted sport utilities more than other types of vehicle. Two years ago we were paying around $2.75 per gallon, but over the 12 months that followed we ran head first into the most expensive fuel costs of our lives, topping out at nearly $4.15 (gasbuddy) in the summer of ’08. Just 5 months after reaching that all time high, prices at the pump plummeted 60% and bottomed out around $1.60. Since then we’ve slowly added another dollar to what we pay for petrol and who knows where we are going from here. And while the price of gas continues to be the biggest factor in determining all hybrid car sales, the economy and current recession would have to rank a close second.
When we looked at how people were searching for hybrid SUV’s a couple of years ago compared to this month, a lot has changed. Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Ford and Saturn topped our searches back then (still no hybrid honda SUV, sorry). In the past 30 days, no specific hybrid SUV make or model was a part of our top 10 list. In their place today are people searching for phrases such as ”best suv gas mileage” and “hybrid suv comparison”.
It has been exciting to review and test drive the new hybrids that have transitioned from mere rumors, to concept vehicles, to auto shows, and finally to dealer showrooms. It’s also been sad to see a few of them go to the wayside before most of us even got to enjoy them. Now, with the world’s largest auto show only 10 days away in Frankfort, Germany we kick off what is sure to be another exciting year of hybrid SUV coverage (starting with the Kia Sorento hybrid). Stay tuned and thanks for your support!
Congratulations on reaching 2 years! Any chance you have another roundup of hybrid giveaways coming up?
Wehaf…we will try to get an update hybrid giveaway post up soon. Watch hybrid-cars.org as well – we have them there sometimes too. HybridGuy