Four cylinders pull ahead of hybrid choices

Everybody talks about hybrid gas-electric powered cars, but when it comes to buying the technology, they are not walking the talk.
Current Canadian numbers aren't available, but in the U.S., hybrids still only account for three per cent of new-car sales -- SUVs are around 14 per cent.
Hybrid sales are growing slowly here and there, but four-cylinder cars are accelerating away from the green choices.


The four-bangers account for 37 per cent of the U.S. market, up from 30 per cent just three years ago
The fact is that hybrids are still quite expensive -- $30,000-plus -- and no matter what the opinion surveys say about how green we have all become in our purchase choices, the bottom line is still the bottom line.
"For now, the easiest, cheapest way for new-car shoppers to get better mileage is to choose a model with a conventional four-cylinder engine. And they are," said Jason Rothkop, a J.D. Power and Associates analyst recently.
And he pointed out that when you are counting pennies the premium pricing of hybrids -- sometimes $5,000 -- is hard to justify.
Interestingly, some of the biggest competition for the Toyota Prius - the green icon - is coming from its Yaris sibling.
That little cutie enjoyed an 83- per-cent sales surge in March.
Good news is that manufacturers are reporting North America-wide drops of between 18 per cent and 28 per cent in vehicles powered by gas guzzling V8s.
There is a great selection of four-cylinder cars available, particularly in Canada where we have warmed to smaller cars in great numbers than have Americans.
( canada.com )

Additional : The insider confirm that Toyota will launch the all new prius in May 2009 in Japan market.