Hybrid Vehicles Make The Transition From Funky To Fashionable

Ever since hybrid vehicles first came on the market about ten years ago, they have been considered somewhat “cool”– in their own nerdy way. Hybrid vehicles were seen as hip in much the same way that someone like Bill Gates might earn the adjective: by being totally uncool, but also very, very smart. Early hybrids, like the original Prius, made the fashion statement that you really don’t care about fashion — or at least not nearly as much as you care about saving the environment.

These days, though, hybrid vehicles are making the transition from funky to truly fashionable. Instead of designing specific models to serve as hybrids, auto manufacturers are producing hybrid variants of their already-popular non-hybrid production cars. So, instead of a design that screams “I am a hybrid!,” you can choose from luxury cars, SUVs or even full-size trucks that just so happen to use hybrid technology.

Now just because a vehicle is called a hybrid does not automatically mean it is going to get the great gas mileage of a Toyota Prius, or even be a fully hybrid vehicle. There are several different kinds of hybrid vehicles, and many of these more fashionable models could be considered only partially hybrid, making use of some hybrid features, but not all of them. You’ll never get a heavy full-size vehicle to match the fuel economy of a lightweight compact car, simply because of the laws of physics.

However, that doesn’t mean that the hybrid technology is wasted. These new hybrids still often produce considerably higher MPGs than comparable non-hybrids, and if a larger or more utilitarian vehicle is what you require, then a hybrid version may be your greenest option. Also, some such vehicles provide specific benefits that go beyond fuel economy. For example, a hybrid GMC Sierra work truck might seem like an odd combination, but the hybrid technology allows it to power electrical tools at remote work sites.

At NYE Automotive Group, we have a wide selection of hybrid vehicles, from the Ford Fusion to the Lincoln MKZ, and from GMC Yukons to Buick’s upcoming 2012 LaCrosse. Contact us today to learn more.