Automotive Analyst Jesse Toprak | San Francisco Travel Blog

Toyota Prius Is Top-Selling Car in San Francisco and Rest of California

By San Francisco Limousine Specialist on October 31, 2012

Auto Data Corporation tracks auto sales across the country and issues an annual report ranking the best (and worst) selling cars in the U.S. The group recently published this year’s report, which states that the Toyota Prius is the best-selling car in the Bay Area and throughout California. The group tracked all vehicle sales from January through September and found that Californians bought at least 46,380 Prius hybrids over that period of time. Sales of the standard gas-electric hybrid Prius, the v wagon, the less expensive subcompact c and the all-electric, rose 26.3 percent in California over the same period of the previous year, and sales rose 14.5 percent in the rest of the country.

We have written about the Prius’ popularity in our blog before in a post about how popular the hybrid vehicles are with the wealthiest Californians. Apparently, that trend continues in the other states as well.

Jesse Toprak, automotive analyst at truecar.com, recently reported that, despite the low sticker price, Prius ownership is chic with the moneyed crowd.

"It’s one of the only non-luxury cars, that if you’re a wealthy person, it’s acceptable to own," he said.

A big part of the Prius’ success is reliability, but rising gas prices are also a big factor for California buyers. Gas prices here are the second-highest in the country, averaging $4.40 a gallon, compared to an average of $3.65 nationwide and second only to fuel prices in Hawaii.

Here in the Bay Area, many people prefer to go without owning a car to protect the environment and save money on gas, parking, insurance and maintenance. There are many alternatives for getting around, but every once in a while, people who don’t own a car need one for running errands, taking a drive to visit friends and relatives and many other uses.

That is why we offer San Francisco Prius rentals for our customers who only need a car for a day or an afternoon and want to reduce their carbon footprint. Our Prius rentals are clean, reliable and very affordable. If you’re looking for Prius hybrid rentals in the Bay Area, just give us a call at NLS Limo at 800-339-8936 to reserve yours today!