Survey: Young drivers prefer electric cars

The Toyota Prius hybrid / Michael Probst

Lusting for a Lamborghini or Bentley? Not if you grew up listening to the Backstreet Boys and winning trophies for, umm, everything. A new survey finds that most Gen Y consumers (a k a "Millennials") have a high affinity for green, eco-friendly vehicles versus any other type of car.

Researchers at Deloitte found 59% of Gen Y respondents preferred alternative power. Hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles won over 57% of respondents, and pure battery electric vehicles got 2% of the vote; by contrast, vehicles with a traditional gas-only power train were preferred by only 37%.

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Contrary to stereotypes, this young generation seems to know a good value when it sees one: Fuel efficiency is the biggest appeal. In fact, close to half (49%) of Gen Y customers are willing to pay an extra $300 for each mile per gallon of improvement they can get out of a hybrid, according to Deloitte.

In a release, Craig Giffi, vice chairman and automotive practice leader at Deloitte, forecast 25% of new vehicles sold this year and 40% of cars sold in the next decade are likely to be purchased by a Gen Y'er, comprising about 80 million Americans. For many, it will be their first-ever car purchase and a chance for manufacturers to create repeat loyal customers.

Besides fuel efficiency, young drivers want cars packed with technology, like touch screens and smartphone applications, so here's a closer look at four vehicles -- some currently on the market, others about to enter -- with appeal to Generation Y.

Toyota Prius c

toyota.com

The latest of the Prius family enters the market in March with a starting price of $19,000. The "c" stands for "city," characterizing the vehicle's urban-friendliness. Toyota says its newest model gets the best city mpg rating of any vehicle without a plug, getting an average 53 mpg on the highway. Added tech perks include multiple audio system configurations, including a USB port with iPod connectivity, hands-free phone capability, phone book access, and music streaming via Bluetooth.

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid

ford.com

Hailed as one of the hottest new cars debuting at the Detroit Auto Show, the latest Ford Fusion has been fiercely restyled. The hybrid version is expected to get an average 47 mpg in the city and its MyFord Touch feature lets drivers play music, control interior climate and make calls hands-free. Sales are expected to start mid-2012.

Chevrolet Volt

chevrolet.com

The Volt offers two sources of energy: An electric source - a battery - that lets you drive gas-free for 35 miles and there's an onboard gas generator that produces electricity, letting you drive another 375 additional miles on a full tank of gas. Starting in March GM's expected to roll out an updated version of its Chevy Volt that meets California's emissions standards, allowing California buyers to qualify for a state rebate, on top of the existing $7,500 federal tax break. Pricing starts at around $32,000.

2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

vw.com

Hitting dealerships around the end of 2012, the new 2013 Jetta Hybrid boasts about 45 mpg, nearly double what the regular gas Jetta gets. For Gen Y'ers who enjoy the thrill of driving, this car boasts Autobahn-proven technology, making it one of the fastest compact hybrids. Pricing info is not available yet.

Deloitte's 4th annual survey questioned 1,500 Gen Y, Gen X and baby boomers in the U.S., as well as 250 Gen Y consumers in China and 300 in Western Europe between September and October 2011. In the study, Gen Y is aged 19 to 31.

[Resin-Smoker]

A Hybrid is not an electric car!

All it ends up being is a cash cow for the auto industry because the dam things are twice as difficult to repair.

[askagain]

It is great that young drivers prefer alternative energy cars such as electric cars. My concern is whether they will be able to afford cars which run on alternative energy. If auto manufacturers offer competively priced alternatve energy cars, that might not be an issue.

[scptt paul]

When you consider the total cost of ownership, the plug-in cars are actually less expensive than a similar gas car. The cost of operation of the EVs is minimal. The energy costs about 20% that of gasoline per mile driven, the maintenance is minimal, and the time saved from having to go to gas stations is a nice perk, too.

[SandmanUSMC]

Good for the young minds of the world! All us older bozo's are guilty of being more hesitant to change. Let's hope the optimistic views of our youth prevail and electric cars that use renewable energy become the norm. I do like them a lot myself and hope to buy one. Just waiting for all the safety kinks to get worked out (e.g. Chevy Volt has a safety issue). Can't risk that so better to wait a bit longer.

[scptt paul]

Sandman is right, but there are a lot of us oldsters buying these cars, too.

As for ill-gor, wow, what got your panties in a bunch! You make spurious accusations you can't defend. I am one of those liberal people yu seem to hate so much, but I like building large solar and wind installations since I know they are replacing coal, and eventually natural gas plants that pollute. As a matter of fact, I have a 3 kW solar PV system on my house that generates enough energy to power both my house and car with an electricity bill of a mere $100 per year.

No soldier had to fight a war over electricity, something any true patriot would want to encourage. Those soldiers who died or were wounded in Iraq would be alive and healthy today had Bush not chosen to go to war over their oil.

The entire military leadership is behind EVs. Most of the soldiers are waking up to it, too. So before you go denigrating this technology, best to do some homework and learn the reality of these things.

[the0racle]

Dear generation Y: where does electricity come from? (hint: mostly fossil fuels) How do you heat an all electric car in winter temps? What happens to the resale value of a 3 year old electric car as it nears battery replacement time? If you want to save the planet, electric cars are not the answer and don't be fooled by the industry, or this media-contrived fairy tale. Hydrogen is the answer.

[SandmanUSMC]

@the0racle: You obviously work for Exxon. Go pound sand and put some solar panels & LED lights in your house while you're at it.

Fossil fuel consumed: Zero

Get with the program or troll the Fox forums with your other science deniers. As I recall they think the earth is still flat.

[retiredgustav]

Cars are only 5 maybe 10% efficient. Electric generation power plants on the other hand vary from 33% for the older models to 60%+ for the newer combined cycle plants. Putting that electricity in a car even at 50% efficiency we are still way ahead.

[venusvegasvada]

Not just the young. I want one too!

Now if we could only build solar plants and a new electric grid to support them all we could get off foreign oil.