Hybrids are a gimmick to bilk money out of gullible soft headed Greenies. There is no benefit to the atmosphere. Any savings on gas is wiped out by the price of the car. And they are the ugliest POS since the Aztec. If you want to piss money down a hole in the name of conservation and saving the planet, just write a check for the price of a hybrid and send it off to Greenpeace or the Sierra Club. That won't do any good either but at least you can get your feel-good endorphins going without being subjected to driving a hybrid out in public where people can see you.