2006 Lexus GS450h

The GS450h was billed by Lexus as the "World's First Luxury Hybrid Performance Sedan." The hybrid powertrain paired a 3.5-liter aluminum V6 gasoline engine with a high-output electric motor to produce 350 horsepower. Performance was good: 0-60 in 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 131 miles per hour. Fuel economy however (25 city, 28 highway) didn't seem to be much of an improvement over a standard Lexus GS350. It seems Lexus decided to use the hybrid powertrain to boost performance, instead of fuel economy.

2006 Toyota Prius

Toyota's famous hybrid, the Prius, was the first hybrid to also be a usable primary automobile (Honda's Insight was too small), and it continued on in 2006. The Hybrid Synergy Drive in the Prius consisted of a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a 500-volt electric motor and sealed Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries. This combination delivered fuel economy of up to 60 miles per gallon.

Standard features included push-button start, an LCD information display showing energy-monitoring, fuel consumption, climate control, outside temperature and audio controls and steering wheel mounted audio & climate controls. Options included a backup camera and a voice-activated DVD navigation system with steering-wheel mounted controls.

2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid

The GMC Sierra Hybrid became available in early 2009, in two-wheel-drive & four-wheel-drive crew cab short box models. The two-mode hybrid system includes a 322-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 and two 60-kilowatt electronic motors in an electronically variable 4-speed automatic transmission. The Sierra Hybrid can be powered by the electric motors at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour and will deliver fuel economy of up to 21 miles per gallon in the city and 22 miles per gallon on the highway with the two-wheel-drive version or 20 miles per gallon with the four wheel drive version, but still have a 6,100-pound trailer rating when needed.

2010 Mercury Milan Premium Hybrid

Along with the new 2010 Fusion Hybrid, Ford is also releasing a Mercury version, the Milan Hybrid. It features a 2.5-liter iVCT I-4 engine with Atkinson-cycle combustion, a permanent-magnet AC-synchronous electric motor, a 330-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (eCVT).

The Milan Hybrid offers the same performance as the Fusion Hybrid. It will reach 47 miles per hour on electric power alone and deliver 41 miles per gallon in the city and 36 miles per hour on the highway with a range of up to 700 miles. Like the Fusion Hybrid, the Milan Hybrid's dashboard features a pair customizable "SmartGauge" 4.3" LCD screens that use a virtual "Efficiency Forest" to illustrate current fuel economy.



Available options include a hard drive-based navigation system with Serius TravelLink, which will find fuel prices, display weather forecasts and warn about accidents, and Mercury SYNC with 911 Assist that can make a 911 call througe a Bluetooth cellphone.

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Ford has had a hybrid version of their Escape SUV for a while now, but for 2010 Ford's all-new Fusion adds another hybrid to the lineup. The 2010 Fusion Hybrid is powered by a 2.5-liter, 155 horsepower, 4-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission, an electric motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The Fusion Hybrid will reach 47 miles per hour on electric power alone and delivers 41 miles per gallon in the city and 36 miles per hour on the highway and a range of up to 700 miles.

The Fusion Hybrid's dashboard features customizable "SmartGauge" LCD screens that use a virtual "Efficiency Forest" to illustrate current fuel economy.