Actually, I got a hybrid Honda Civic. I traded off the extra efficiency of the Prius for the reliability I know Honda to have. (Not that I have a particular beef against Toyota; it's just that my previous Honda was a fantastic little car that just kept running and running and running. I'm pretty loyal to brands who make good stuff.)
Part of the problem was that at first, hybrids sold like crap.
Actually, I think we're getting into chicken-and-egg stuff here. Automakers made hybrids and EVs as concept vehicles, and thus didn't push them to the masses. Thus, the masses didn't take notice, therefore not ponying up the cash. Automakers decided the cars weren't big business, so the kept them as niche vehicles. Wash, rinse, repeat. I think electric vehicles are still currently in that cycle, while Toyota finally figured out how to blaze the trail to the outside.
I'm anxious to see what happens with the all-electric Tesla. They're aiming at the luxury market first, then working their way down to normal consumer vehicles, rather than the other way around. Not sure it will work, but it's an interesting approach.
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Part of the problem was that at first, hybrids sold like crap.
Actually, I think we're getting into chicken-and-egg stuff here. Automakers made hybrids and EVs as concept vehicles, and thus didn't push them to the masses. Thus, the masses didn't take notice, therefore not ponying up the cash. Automakers decided the cars weren't big business, so the kept them as niche vehicles. Wash, rinse, repeat. I think electric vehicles are still currently in that cycle, while Toyota finally figured out how to blaze the trail to the outside.
I'm anxious to see what happens with the all-electric Tesla. They're aiming at the luxury market first, then working their way down to normal consumer vehicles, rather than the other way around. Not sure it will work, but it's an interesting approach.