ok thats pretty interesting, samson. sounds like toyota is doing pretty well with the prius. i still say the market is small though and there really is no room for competition yet.

as far as the cost of the hybrid system, the only indicator ive seen as to its overall cost is the difference in price between a standard civic sedan dx, and a civic hybrid.

civic dx: $13,010
civic hybrid: $19,650

those are base MSRPs off of honda's website. thats a total difference in price of $6640.

granted, the prices are likely to come down, in light of the article above.

still, i just dont see hybrids ever becoming mainstream, and maybe american companies agree. maybe honda and toyota, instead of being on the leading edge of technology, are only making these cars as a statement, like a marketing scheme to reinforce their image as technology leaders.

just a thought