Hybrid vehicles are on course to achieve record sales in 2007, increasing by 35 percent compared with 2006, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 U.S. Hybrid Vehicle Forecast Second Quarter Update. According to the report, an estimated 187,000 hybrid vehicles were sold in the U.S. market through the first half of 2007, accounting for 2.3 percent of the total U.S. new light-vehicle market through June. While sales of hybrid vehicles are projected to decline slightly in the second half of the year, the market is still on track to sell 345,000 hybrids in 2007—a 35 percent increase from the 256,000 hybrids sold in 2006. The Toyota Prius continues to be the most popular hybrid model, selling 94,503 units through June 2007 and representing 50.6 percent of all new hybrid vehicles sold in the U.S. market in 2007. Prius sales were bolstered earlier this year when Toyota began offering incentives up to $2,000 to entice customers.
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