The Tokyo Motor Show in 1995 was the scene of a game-changing development in the automotive world. It was at this prestigious event that Toyota unveiled its new hybrid concept car, which was to become the icon that is the Toyota Prius.
First sold in Japan in 1997, the Prius went on to become a global phenomenon and remains the biggest selling hybrid in the world. As of April 2020, Toyota had sold 15 million Prius models in its 23 years on the market.
With more and more car manufacturers jumping on the hybrid bandwagon, there are now more options than ever for motorists who want to drive green, though none of these models are as successful as the Prius - at least not yet.
10 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 – No Fun To Drive
After being unveiled as a new concept car at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 went on sale to the public in 2009. While there were a few teething problems with the earliest models, it is the 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 that has proven to be the biggest disappointment.
German manufacturer BMW is generally known for its well-engineered, but this particular hybrid was no fun to drive. The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 was redesigned for 2013 and more recent models have been more successful commercially and with critics.
9 2009 Chrysler Aspen – Experimental Engine
Given that hybrid vehicles were created to appeal to a new generation of green motorists, the idea of a hulking SUV hybrid with a Hemi engine was a rather incongruous one. Unsurprisingly, when Chrysler launched the 2009 Dodge Durango and its luxury counterpart, the Chrysler Aspen, they found it difficult to identify a target market.
Fewer than 1000 Durango and Aspen hybrids were built, and they remain the only cars fitted with an experimental hybrid engine that had been developed by Chrysler along with BMW and GM.
8 2005 Honda Accord – Confusing Performance Hybrid
The 2005 Honda Accord is another hybrid model that failed to sell, mainly because their target market was too niche and too small. The Accord was marketed as a performance hybrid when it was launched in 2005, which doesn’t fit with the image of hybrid cars as good for the environment.
Many drivers found the concept of a performance car that wasn’t also a gas guzzler to be a strange one, and fewer than 30,000 models were sold before the vehicle was scrapped in 2007.
7 2010 Lexus HS 250h – Noisy Engine
Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota, has embraced the hybrid revolution. Their first hybrid was the Lexus LS 600h, which was launched in 2007, and was soon followed by the Lexus HS 250h in 2010.
This stylish compact car looks great from the outside, but it is when you get inside that the problems start. Perhaps the most notable issue with the vehicle is the loud volume of the engine when the driver tries to accelerate. Hybrid cars are generally quieter than regular vehicles, so Lexus has got something seriously wrong with this model.
6 2008 Fisker Karma – Expensive Failure
In 2007, automotive designer Henrik Fisker decided that he wanted to be his boss and set up Fisker Automotive in his native Scandinavia. Sadly, the company and its cars only lasted for six years before it was declared bankrupt in 2013.
Their only production model was the Fisker Karma, which the company claimed was the world’s first plug-in electric hybrid supercar. With prices starting at $100,000, few people could afford to buy one of these luxury cars, which led to the company’s financial downfall.
5 2011 Volkswagen Touareg – Difficult To Maintain
The Volkswagen Touareg was a fairly uninspiring hybrid SUV that was first sold in 2011. Volkswagen cars have always been more popular in Europe, and this proved to be the case for the hybrid Touareg too.
While the hybrid model was on sale on its home continent until 2018, it was ditched from the US line-up after disappointing sales.
4 2001 Mitsubishi Outlander – Uninspiring Inside And Out
Mitsubishi was an early innovator when it came to hybrid technology, creating a hybrid version of their new SUV when it was launched in Japan in 2001 as the Mitsubishi Airtrek – later renamed the Mitsubishi Outlander.
Unfortunately, even a ground-breaking hybrid engine couldn’t save the Outlander from its reputation as a dull and uninspiring vehicle, inside and out. It hasn’t improved much over the last 20 years either, with the SUV still coming in for criticism for its cheap interior its and ugly exterior design.
3 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line – Recall Issues
The Saturn brand name was scrapped by General Motors in 2010, just when hybrids and electric vehicles were starting to take off. The company did manage to develop and launch a few hybrid models before their disappearance, including the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line.
Initially, the vehicle was a hit with consumers and critics alike, but owners soon found that the Saturn Vue Green Line was plagued with problems, and there were several recalls associated with the car, including a significant fault with the high-voltage battery pack.
2 2008 Chevrolet Malibu – Terrible Fuel Economy Figures
One of the main attractions of a hybrid car is that you can choose whether to use the regular gas engine or the electric battery. Shorter distances can be easily covered by a fully-charged battery, while you can still rely on a full tank for long journeys.
These dual options mean that hybrid cars should offer much better fuel economy than vehicles that only have a regular gas-powered engine. The 2008 Chevy Malibu hybrid, however, had fuel economy figures that were only a marginal improvement on the non-hybrid version of the same model!
1 2014 Nissan Pathfinder – Weak Electric Motor
The Nissan Pathfinder has been in production since 1985 and remains a popular choice on the SUV market. When the Japanese manufacturer introduced a hybrid model in 2014, there was no reason to think that it wouldn’t be as successful as its gas-guzzling counterpart.
Sadly, an underwhelming electric motor means that there wasn’t any benefit to choosing the greener hybrid model, and poor sales caused Nissan to abandon their Pathfinder hybrid experiment after just one year in the US, with the vehicle lasting just a few months longer in Canada.