Survey Says Hybrid Vehicle Interest Up
Searches for hybrid vehicles on the Cars.com Web site are at an all-time high. In fact, a recent Cars.com survey showed that 59 percent of car shoppers have purchased or would consider purchasing a hybrid as their next car.
So which cities are greener when it comes to car shopping? According to the group's ranking of hybrid vehicle searches by market, West Coast shoppers show the greatest interest in going green. San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Sacramento and San Diego make up the top five. In each of these markets, hybrids account for more than 3 percent of new car searches. Cities in the south -- Houston, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Birmingham, and Miami -- round out the bottom five.
"Gas prices definitely play a role in hybrid interest, because West Coast cities traditionally have higher gas prices on average than the rest of the country," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor in chief. "The Cars.com Green Index also shows that interest is high in markets that are traditionally concerned with environmental issues, such as Denver and Minneapolis, and those plagued by traffic and congestion, such as Washington, D.C., and Boston."