Hybrids are worthless except as an intermediate step towards fuel cell cars. The Chevy Volt concept they showed recently was the first hybrid I've really been excited by. Full electric drivetrain, plug-in hybrid that runs the first 40 miles on house charge. 1.0l turbo 3-cyl generator kicks in after that to charge the batteries, but the best part is that the engine is separate from the drivetrain and could easily be switched for any other electric generator. Say, a fuel cell when hydrogen becomes available.

If I wanted to buy a cheap commuter car right now, I'd either go for a Yaris or a Fit. 35 mpg at 14k > 45 mpg at 30k.