Who’s Got The Best Hybrid? For Canadians, It’s Toyota

Multi-Reso, a Montreal survey firm, recently conducted a survey of 1,300 Canadian car buyers to determine which hybrid auto manufacturer produces the best vehicle. The survey shows that Canadian consumers believe – by a wide margin – that Toyota probably makes the best overall hybrids available today. 38% of respondents said that Toyota was their top choice, versus 11% of consumers who identified Honda and the quality king. The combined rankings of GM, Ford and Chrysler rated just under 10% of all respondents.

According to the survey, more consumers are now considering the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. Thirty-three percent of potential buyers would "definitely consider" a hybrid vehicle, an eight percent jump from 2005 survey results. Men are slightly less willing to consider a hybrid vehicle, but Multi Reso noted that differences between genders, age groups and educational levels of survey respondents have decreased, but says that household income and concern for the environment are still the two most likely predictors for hybrid purchases among Canadian consumers.

Among respondents who are "definitely thinking about" buying a hybrid car, Toyota ranked as being the highest quality option for 40% of respondents. Among respondents who already owned a hybrid, Toyota's quality rating rose to 41% and among those who plan to purchase or lease a new vehicle in the next 12 months, Toyota captured the number one spot 42% of the time. Overall, male respondents ranked Toyota hybrids number one in quality as much as 50% of the time, depending upon their demographic classification.

Late last year, RL Polk and Co., predicted that hybrid sales would account for one in 20 new vehicle purchases by 2012, and that the current economy would not impact the growth of hybrid sales in North America. Unfortunately, auto sales figures for the months of December 2008 and January 2009 begged to differ, with hybrid sales sliding well below overall sales rates in both months. Interest in hybrids may be perked up, if not by rising gasoline costs, by tax incentives that have been worked into the stimulus plan set to make a visit to the White House later this month.

Photo Credit: Steve Woods