With surging gas prices dominating headlines, inventories of fuel-efficient vehicles and EVs are shrinking as supply appears short of demand, according to CarsDirect.
A recent search of inventory listings on Cars.com showed just 472 new Toyota Prius hybrids available in the entire United States. Of that total, just 28 were the entry-level Prius L model, and just 133 Prius Prime plug-in hybrids were listed, according to CarsDirect.
2022 Toyota Prius Nightshade
The Ford Maverick compact pickup truck is available with a hybrid powertrain and 42-mpg EPA city rating; but actually finding one could prove difficult. Ford has stopped taking orders for the 2022 Maverick due to high demand.
Ford also recently stopped taking orders for half of the Mustang Mach-E lineup, and the wait for new orders can be up to 20 to 28 weeks. The website also reported that Autotrader is currently listing just 502 Nissan Leaf hatchbacks in stock nationwide.
While new EV models are rolling out, they can be subject to dealer markups. The Kia EV6 is attracting markups of up to $20,000, and Kia has intentionally limited front-end dealer profit margins to just a few hundred dollars, CarsDirect reported.
2022 Kia EV6
Outcomes like this scramble for EVs or more efficient gasoline models are generally more likely than a decrease in driving, as a 2018 study found that it’s not necessarily true that people drive less when gas prices go up.
Gas prices have fueled interest in EVs and nudged them closer to the tipping point, according to a 2021 study. But truly, product means more than gas prices in stoking EV demand. The same might not be true for high-mpg gasoline vehicles, as these inventory numbers show.
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