Green 'Alternative Power' Vehicles No Longer A Top 10 Segment In 2014: Report

With gas prices at their lowest in years, there's no shortage of analysis available regarding their potential effect on sales of fuel-efficient cars.

Looking at sales for calendar year 2014, a new bit of research indicates that sales of green cars did decline somewhat--possibly as a result of not only low gas prices, but other factors as well.

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"Alternative-powered" vehicles were knocked out of the top 10 categories of new-car sales--as ranked by number of new vehicle registrations--in 2014, according to research firm Experian Automotive.

That category would include hybrid, electric, diesel, and natural-gas powered vehicles.

Entry-level crossovers and full-size pickup trucks were the top two categories by registration, while "upscale-near luxury" models moved up into the top 10.

The latter category includes vehicles at the lower end of the luxury segment, such as the BMW 3 Series, Lexus ES, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Last year's increase in crossover utility sales was significant; that class overtook conventional passenger cars for the first time ever.

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It's easy to chalk that up to consumers falling back into old habits in the face of low gas prices, but it's worth noting that crossover sales remained high throughout the year--while gas prices fluctuated.