New hybrid cars gaining steam in the marketplace

When Soskin Toyota rolls out the new Prius this week, it will become the second Cape Girardeau dealership, along with Wieser Honda, to offer a so-called hybrid car.

But, if all the hype is correct, it won't be the last.

Industry experts are already calling the superefficient automobile that combines electric engines and gas motors the next generation of automobile.

Meanwhile, the drivers who have rushed out to buy a hybrid are swearing by them for the gas efficiency that apparently does nothing to diminish vehicle power.

"This is the best car I've ever had," said Mark Hosler, a doctor at Southeast Missouri Hospital who bought a Honda Insight almost four years ago. "I like this, it's eccentric and quirky and different, like I am. I also like that it's dependable."

Other companies are banking on drivers with similar attitudes.

'Not giving up anything'

General Motors, Ford and virtually every other major auto manufacturer has plans in the works to follow Honda and Toyota and release gas-electric hybrids, including hybrid sport utility vehicles, which have taken a beating for years as gas guzzlers that hurt the environment.

"There's going to be a lot more hybrid stuff coming to the marketplace," said Jerry Wieser, owner of Wieser Honda.

Wieser introduced the hybrid car to Cape Girardeau almost four years ago with the two-seater, all-aluminum Insight, and then later with the hybrid version of the Civic sedan.

"You're not giving up anything with the hybrid technology," Wieser said. "They're becoming even more popular, even though they do cost a couple thousand dollars more. We're going to see more of them."

Hybrid sales are expected to exceed 100,000 in 2004 and are predicted to reach 350,000 by 2008. Trucks are expected to account for the majority of hybrid sales by 2008, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

Hosler said his Insight gets 78 miles to the gallon, though the Civic and Prius get closer to 50 to 60 miles to the gallon. Hosler said the hybrid hasn't given him any trouble or lost any pep.

"If someone didn't tell you it was a hybrid, you'd never know it," he said. "It doesn't act any differently than a fully gas-powered car. I haven't put a penny in it except for two oil changes. It feels like I've had four years of free transportation."

Wieser said, however, that few people are buying Insights any more; most people are buying Civics because they're roomier. The Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius both cost less than $20,000 and come with a $2,000 federal tax deduction to encourage sales of fuel-efficient cars.

Wieser Honda has been selling one to two hybrid Civics a month.

Fuel independence

Larry Bill and his wife Tina, who live in Fruitland, bought a hybrid Honda Civic in 2002, and he believes it was the first Civic hybrid bought in Southeast Missouri.

"I wanted it primarily because I don't like to give my money to Saudi Arabia," Bill said. "I'd rather be fuel independent in this country. If you want that, you need to conserve fuel. These cars do that."

Bill said it's also a misconception that the hybrids don't get as much speed or power as gas-only cars.

"That car has just as much pep as a comparable subcompact would have," he said. "You don't see any difference in acceleration. It has no trouble getting up hills. It's designed to give you immediate power when you need it."

Hybrid engines are built smaller to accommodate the majority of the time when the cars are not going uphill or accelerating quickly. The Honda cars run on fuel during regular cruising, then use the electricity to give the extra push during acceleration.

The Toyota Prius is just the opposite, operating mainly on the electrical battery, then using gasoline to provide extra acceleration power when needed.

When the car is stopped, hybrid gasoline motors can shut off and run off their electric motor and battery. Hybrid cars are lighter and more aerodynamic; their tires are stiffer and inflated higher to reduce drag.

Hybrid cars often recover braking energy and use it to charge the battery; no plug-in or long extension cord is necessary.

Steve Pogue, the sales manager at Soskin Toyota in Cape Girardeau, said they only recently became a Prius dealer. He said they already have a Prius on the lot, but it's a program car that is for showing customers.

One at a time

This week, they're getting their first car to sell. As is customary with hybrids, Pogue said they at first will get one car at a time. Later, if sales are are successful, the dealership will get more cars to sell on the lot.

The Prius has several special features, including a touch-screen that shows how much fuel is being saved and whether the car is using the electric engine or the gas motor.

Pogue also thinks the hybrids will become more popular.

"Especially if the gas prices go up," he said. "It's a gamble in Cape Girardeau, because most people work and live in this vicinity. But people who live in bigger cities and even as close as Farmington who have people who work in St. Louis -- those people have got to be in a car like this."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137