Hybrid car dealer laughing as fuel costs jump

Stephen Pollard says hybrid cars can average 20km per litre of petrol. Picture / Greg Bowker

Yesterday's fuel price rises have put an even wider smile on the face of Auckland "green" car dealer Stephen Pollard.

"I think it's great - I'm probably the only one in the country who grins every time petrol goes up," he said.

For Mr Pollard, who describes himself as New Zealand's only specialist dealer in hybrid petrol-electric cars, is expecting another spurt in business from today as motorists look for greater fuel efficiency.

"Last year, when petrol prices rolled up in August and September, we sold out," he said.

As hurricanes buffeted United States oil fields, his Clean Green Car Company on Fanshawe St was selling up to 20 cars a month.

Mr Pollard began importing used Toyota Prius hybrid cars from Japan almost two years ago.

He was new to the motor industry, but had become environmentally aware in a previous management role in adventure tourism.

He said that as well as offering almost twice the fuel efficiency of petrol-driven cars of an equivalent power rating, hybrid vehicles produced 90 per cent less noxious emissions.

This meant that although they were "not the answer to all our environmental problems", they had an important future role in a city such as Auckland where worsening congestion was seriously damaging air quality.

Mr Pollard said that although second-hand hybrid cars were several thousand dollars more expensive than comparable petrol-fuelled vehicles, he believed they were more pleasant to drive and there was a rapid payback from fuel savings.

His prices ranged from about $17,000 to $37,995 - compared with the recommended retail figure of $43,650 for new Prius cars. Their 1.5 litre petrol motors combined with 200kW battery-packs to give them the same power as 2 litre to 2.4 litre petrol vehicles.

Yet they typically provided 20km of travel for every litre of petrol used, recharging their own batteries for a design life of 12 to 14 years or 300,000 to 400,000km, Mr Pollard said.