Hottest Hybrids for 2007

Hybrid vehicles are winning over more consumers every year. In the first half of 2006, the U.S. had more than 144,000 new hybrid registrations, which is 1.4 percent of all light passenger vehicles registered in that period, according to R.L. Polk and Co. That is up from 1 percent of the new-car market the previous year.

Data for the second half of 2006 wasn't available at publication time. But the new hybrid registrations for 2006 overall are expected to hit 230,000, up 17 percent from the 199,000 hybrids registered in 2005, said Lonnie Miller, R.L. Polk’s director of industry analysis.

Hybrid vehicle sales jumped more than 139 percent from 2004 to 2005 and 81 percent from 2003 to 2004, according to R.L. Polk.

California accounts for nearly one quarter of new hybrid registrations, according to R.L. Polk. But it’s not just a West Coast trend: New York, Boston and Washington D.C. are also hybrid hot spots.

The 2007 model year promises further growth for hybrid vehicles — both in terms of the number of models and market share. General Motors will launch several hybrid SUVs, while Lexus debuts a range-topping large luxury sedan with a hybrid V8 to compete against other automakers’ V12s.

If these trends continue, gas/electric hybrid powertrains are destined to become options in plenty of popular vehicles over the next few years, which means drivers will get more power and better fuel economy. And isn’t that what we all want?