Despite the region's eco-friendly image, the appetite for fuel-efficient hybrid cars in the Bay Area appears to be on the decline.
According to R.L. Polk & Co., which analyzes the auto industry, new hybrid-car registrations in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland area have steadily declined since peaking in 2007. That year in the region, there were new 27,292 registrations of hybrid cars, which are more fuel-efficient than cars that run only on gasoline. By 2009, that number had dropped 36%, to 17,575 registrations. This year through May, there have been 6,306 registrations of hybrid cars in the Bay Area, Polk reports.
The falloff mirrors a national trend. Hit by the recession, hybrid car registrations nationwide also peaked in 2007, at 350,701, and fell around 17% to 288,952 last year, Polk says, as auto sales overall declined in the economic downturn.
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