Tipping Point: Half of America Wants a Hybrid Car

LiveScience.com - Tipping Point: Half of America Wants a Hybrid Car:

More than half of all Americans say they would seriously consider buying or leasing a fuel-saving hybrid car, according to a new poll.

Price is the obstacle for many, however.

The CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found 48 percent of Americans have cut back significantly on the amount they drive because of higher gas prices. The figure is 59 percent for those living in households earning less than $50,000 per year and 36 percent for those making $50,000 or more.

More than half of all Americans (54 percent) said they have reduced household spending on other items because of high gas prices.

Hybrids, meanwhile, aren't selling because of the added cost, even though 57 percent of those polled said they would seriously consider one.

And yet, American car manufacturers seem to be left out of the loop for this information. The one true hybrid currently sold by an American manufacturer, the Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner hybrid SUV, uses Toyota's technology under a licensing agreement. Just a year or two ago, two of the homeland manufacturers, GM and Chrysler, cancelled their experimental electric vehicle projects (EVO-1 and Commander, respectively). I guess Henry Ford was right: you don't need brains to run a company (especially if you're running it into the ground!).