Part of the problem was that at first, hybrids sold like crap. There wasn't much of a market for them, and the Prius dominated what market there was by dint of the sales effort put into them. By the time the celebrities and pols started getting excited about global warming and pushing hybrid vehicles, the Hondas were pretty much shut out.

Your reasons for buying a Prius had nothing to do with image, iirc. Rightly or wrongly, you decided that you were going to do this as your personal conservation effort. All well and good, and not at all like Hollyweird scum who park a Prius in their driveway while taking limos & private jets everywhere.