As Electric-Vehicle Shoppers Hesitate, Hybrid Sales Surge


汽车生产商纷纷为希望购买非汽油车的消费者扩大选择范围，在这种情况下，购车者就有更多可选车型了。


位于加州埃尔蒙特市Longo Toyota经销店。

多年来，汽车生产商一直在努力摆脱混合动力汽车“呆板耗油”的形象，通过改造使车辆的设计更具运动感、动力更强劲。现在，曾经冷门的混动车成了市场上最热门的车型。 6park.com
Automakers have been working for years to transcend the image of hybrid cars as stodgy fuel sippers, remaking them with sportier designs and extra pep. Now, the once-niche hybrid is the hottest car on the lot. 6park.com
    
自丰田普锐斯(Toyota Prius) 20多年前率先引入混合动力技术以来，混动车在美国汽车市场上的份额一直较小但保持稳定；混动车将汽油发动机与电池驱动电机相结合，以提高燃油效率。近年来，随着各家汽车生产商纷纷推出电动汽车来挑战特斯拉(Tesla)，混动车的受欢迎程度已被纯电动车超越。 6park.com
Hybrids, which combine a gas engine with a battery-propelled motor to boost fuel efficiency, have been a small but steady slice of the U.S. car market since the Toyota Prius ushered in the technology more than two decades ago. In recent years, they have taken a back seat to fully electric vehicles, as automakers introduced many EVs to challenge Tesla.



但一些汽车品牌一直在有条不紊地增加混动车型，部分原因为了满足更严格的尾气排放规定，此外，对有的汽车品牌来说，混动车已成为一种竞争优势。例如，在混动车领军者丰田汽车的美国经销店里，几乎每款汽油车都有混动版。在某些情况下，比如丰田的新款凯美瑞(Camry)轿车或赛那(Sienna)厢式旅行车，混动车是唯一可选车型。 6park.com
But car brands have been methodically expanding their hybrid offerings—partly to help meet tougher tailpipe-emissions rules—and for some, they have become a competitive edge. Hybrid leader Toyota Motor, for example, offers a hybrid version of nearly every gas-powered model in its U.S. showrooms. In some cases, such as Toyota’s new Camry sedan or Sienna minivan, a hybrid is the only option. 6park.com
    
据Cox Automotive估计，美国在售的混动车型数量五年内增长了40%，2024款混动车型已达到约70种。与过去几年相比，现在混动车的尺寸和款式增加了，有尺寸更大的SUV、皮卡、吉普车，甚至跑车。 6park.com
The number of hybrid models on sale in the U.S. grew 40% over five years, to about 70 for the 2024 model year, Cox Automotive estimates. Hybrids now are available across more vehicle sizes and body styles than in past years: larger SUVs, pickups, jeeps and even sports cars. 6park.com
    
福特汽车(Ford Motor)汽油车和混动车业务主管Andrew Frick说：“现在，混动车相较于汽油车几乎已经毫不逊色了。”例如，福特混动版F-150皮卡的动力现在已超过大部分汽油版F-150。 6park.com
“Hybrids now have very few compromises compared to their gas alternatives,” said Andrew Frick, head of Ford Motor’s gas and hybrid vehicle business. The hybrid version of the Ford F-150 pickup, for example, is now more powerful than most gas versions of the truck. 6park.com
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今年前两个月，美国混动车的销量猛增了50%。销量绝对值和增幅都超过了纯电动车，后者同期销量增长13%。研究网站Edmunds的数据显示，经销店的混动车平均在25天内就能售出，时间只有纯电动车的三分之一，是汽油车的二分之一。 6park.com
U.S. sales of hybrids jumped 50% in the first two months of the year. That surge outpaced EV sales, which grew 13%, in both growth and volume. Hybrids flew off dealer lots in 25 days on average, nearly three times faster than EVs and twice as fast as gas-powered cars, according to research site Edmunds.


Khanh Le将一辆汉兰达汽油车换成一辆新的汉兰达混动车。

电池动力汽车热销也激发了人们的兴趣。有经销商和汽车企业高管表示，一些对电动汽车感兴趣的消费者并没有选择纯电动汽车，而是选择了混动车。尽管与电动汽车相比，混动车的市场推广力度并不大，而目前油价又相对较低，但仍出现了这种需求热潮。 6park.com
The buzz surrounding battery-powered vehicles also has fueled interest. Some EV-curious shoppers are stopping short of going fully electric and are driving off in hybrids instead, dealers and car executives say. The boom in demand is happening despite modest marketing compared with EVs, and during a time of relatively tame gas prices. 6park.com
    
加州埃尔蒙特市Longo Toyota的总裁Doug Eroh说：“我认为电动汽车有光环效应。”Eroh说，客户经常咨询电动汽车，但又担心续航里程以及是否能随时找到充电桩。 6park.com
“I think there is a halo effect from EVs,” said Doug Eroh, president of Longo Toyota in El Monte, Calif. Customers often inquire about an EV but are hung up on concerns about driving range and charger availability, Eroh said.



另一个助力混动车销售的因素是，近年来沃尔沃汽车(Volvo Cars)、宝马(BMW)、现代汽车(Hyundai Motor)、起亚(Kia)以及Stellantis旗下Jeep相继推出了多款插电式混合动力车型。插电式混合动力汽车仅靠电力驱动通常能行驶20到40英里，然后会启动汽油发动机。 6park.com
Another factor propelling hybrid sales is the introduction of several plug-in models in recent years by Volvo Cars, BMW, Hyundai Motor, Kia and Stellantis-owned Jeep. Plug-in hybrids travel solely on electric power, typically for 20 to 40 miles, before the gas engine comes on. 6park.com
    
多年来，在华尔街对电动汽车大力欢呼的背景下，许多车企高管对混动车并不热心，甚至完全绕开了这项技术，重金投资纯电动车型。 6park.com
For years, many auto executives played down their hybrid offerings—or even bypassed the technology altogether—to invest heavily in fully electric models as Wall Street cheered all things EV.  6park.com
   
一些企业正在迎头赶上。通用汽车(General Motors)曾一度放弃混动车，大力投入电动汽车，但现在计划在北美推出一些插电式混合动力车型。日产汽车(Nissan Motor)表示，正在研究如何将其在其他市场销售的混动车引入美国。 6park.com
Some are playing catch-up. General Motors once dismissed hybrids in favor of a more aggressive electric-car push, but now plans to introduce some plug-in hybrid models in North America. Nissan Motor said it was examining ways to bring hybrids it sells in other markets to the U.S.  6park.com
大众汽车(Volkswagen)北美首席执行官Pablo DiSi表示，大众汽车正考虑在美国推出更多插电式混合动力车型。 6park.com
Volkswagen North American Chief Pablo Di Si has said VW was looking at adding a plug-in hybrid to its lineup of vehicles in the U.S.


福特一位高管表示，混动车相较于汽油车几乎已经毫不逊色了。

混动车需求回升对丰田来说是好消息；该公司一直因坚持使用油电混合动力技术而受到环保组织批评。丰田表示，电动汽车对许多客户来说并不实用，而混动车有助于减少碳排放。 6park.com
The snapback in hybrid demand is a boon for Toyota, which has been criticized by environmental groups for sticking with the gas-electric technology. The Japanese carmaker has said EVs aren’t practical for many customers, and hybrids help reduce carbon emissions. 6park.com
    
早期，丰田吸引了一批具有环保意识的买家和包括莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥(Leonardo DiCaprio)和娜塔莉·波特曼(Natalie Portman)在内的名人。混动车的销量持续增长，但有经销商表示，混动车被认为是具有环保意识的消费者才会买的汽车。 6park.com
Early on, Toyota drew a fan base of environmentally conscious buyers and celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Natalie Portman. Hybrid sales continued to grow but were seen as cars for the green-minded buyer, dealers say. 6park.com
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丰田开始着手改变这种看法。从2018年前后起，丰田开始推出新版混动车，目的是让这些车外形更亮眼、动力更强劲。以2022年推出的改款普锐斯为例，该车型与上一代车型的油耗大致相同，均为每加仑行使里程57英里，但输出功率提升了70马力。 6park.com
Toyota set out to change that perception. Starting around 2018, it began launching new versions of its hybrids, aiming to make them both better looking and more powerful. For example, the revamped Prius, unveiled in 2022, has roughly the same fuel economy—57 miles a gallon—as the previous generation but delivers an additional 70 horsepower.  6park.com
    
设计师们还希望赋予改款普锐斯更动感的外观，比如尺寸更大的轮胎或不那么符合空气动力学的车身，即使这样会牺牲一些油耗表现。丰田设计总监Simon Humphries说，丰田希望人们购买改版普锐斯是因为它的颜值。 6park.com
Designers also wanted to give the Prius a sportier look, even if the features—such as larger tires or a less aerodynamic body—sacrificed a bit of fuel economy. Toyota wanted people to buy the Prius because it was beautiful, Toyota design chief Simon Humphries said.


Longo Toyota地下停车场出售的车辆。


Khanh Le拍了一张他的新丰田汽车的照片并发给他的妻子。

其他汽车制造商也在投身混动车领域。 6park.com
Other carmakers are also leaning into their hybrids. 6park.com
    
从2021年开始，Stellantis旗下品牌Jeep推出了其畅销车型牧马人(Wrangler)的插电混动版，并打出了这款车在泥泞河流中驰骋的广告。 6park.com
Beginning in 2021, the Stellantis Jeep brand rolled out a plug-in hybrid version of its popular Wrangler, backed by commercials featuring the cars forging through muddy rivers.  6park.com
    
福特计划在未来五年内实现混动车销量增长三倍，而该公司在2021年底推出的紧凑型皮卡Maverick的混动版一直供不应求。 6park.com
Ford said it plans to quadruple hybrid sales over the next five years, and has had trouble keeping pace with demand for the hybrid version of the Maverick, a compact pickup truck it rolled out in late 2021. 6park.com
    
经销商和车企高管表示，对于消费者来说，混动车的经济效益比纯电动汽车更一目了然。购买纯电动汽车需要考虑的因素更多，例如家用充电桩的费用、保值率的不确定性以及保养维修成本。 6park.com
For consumers, the financial benefits of owning a hybrid are easier to understand than those of EVs, say dealers and car executives. EV shoppers have more to consider, such as the expense of a home charger, uncertainty about resale values and the cost of maintenance and repairs. 6park.com
   
“购买混动车的顾客不必改变用车习惯，”福特首席执行官法利(Jim Farley)在上个月的一次投资者会议上表示。“他们马上就能算出这笔账。” 6park.com
“Customers don’t have to change their habit on hybrid,” Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley said at an investor conference last month. “They can immediately do the math.” 6park.com
    
混动车价格相对于汽油或柴油车型也有所下降。根据私募股权投资公司Mobility Impact Partners的数据，2024款混动车的平均标价比同类内燃机汽车高出约9%，这一溢价低于2007年的43%。 6park.com
Hybrid prices also have fallen relative to gas or diesel models. For the 2024 model year, the average sticker price on hybrids was about 9% more than the comparable internal-combustion-engine vehicle, down from a 43% premium in 2007, according to data from private-equity firm Mobility Impact Partners.  6park.com
    
去年，奥兰治县退休居民Randall Snider通过以旧换新的方式，用两辆汽油车（一辆皮卡和一辆SUV)换了两辆福特Maverick混动皮卡。他说：“我当时想的是‘怎么选才最经济实惠。’” 6park.com
Randall Snider traded in two gasoline vehicles, a pickup and an SUV, for two Ford Maverick hybrid pickups last year. “My thought process was, ‘What’s the most economical?’” said Snider, a retired Orange County resident.  6park.com
   
Snider曾考虑过纯电动汽车，但认为没必要花费额外的费用。他说，一辆Maverick和一辆特斯拉之间的差价够度假两次了。 6park.com
He considered an EV but didn’t think the additional cost made sense. “You might go on two vacations for the price difference between a Maverick and a Tesla,” he said.