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Post through the courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Nov. 26, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
MOTOR TREND INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW 2005: Going 'round the blend
Electric-and-gasoline hybrid vehicles take center stage at expo
By HUBBLE SMITH
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Mervin Gerson, right, gets into a Toyota Prius on Friday at the Motor Trend International Auto Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Hybrids, which combine gasoline power and electric power, have grown popular as fuel prices have risen, observers say.
Photos by Clint Karlsen.
Jim and Doris May of Pahrump look at a Silverado Hybrid truck on display Friday during the Motor Trend International Auto Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Click image for enlargement.
Steve Hult was looking closely at the Toyota Prius, a gasoline-electric hybrid car that sells for $21,000 to $27,000 and gets 60 miles a gallon of gasoline city driving, at the sixth annual Las Vegas Motor Trend International Auto Show.
He liked the car's aerodynamic styling, but he was concerned about passenger comfort, specifically heating in the back seat.
Nonetheless, Hult, a classic American hot-rodder from Henderson, said he'd seriously consider buying a hybrid if the price comes within reason.
"You've got to do something because they (oil companies) manipulate gas prices," Hult said. "The stockholders are going to make their money. The only way to beat them is to beat them at their own game. I'm looking down the road a ways. I'm looking to get from point A to point B without paying $3 a gallon for gas."
Skyrocketing fuel prices have pushed consumers toward more economical cars, sales statistics from WardsAuto.com show.
Small-car sales accounted for 14.2 percent of total sales through the first three quarters of this year, compared with 13.6 percent in 2004. Sales of sport utility vehicles, meanwhile, dipped to 14.4 percent from 16.5 percent last year.
With concern over gasoline prices, which averaged $2.98 gallon in Las Vegas on Sept. 9, and increased environmental awareness among consumers, the trend toward choosing hybrid cars is gaining momentum. Though AAA reported that Las Vegas' average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $2.312 Friday, the price is 7.8 percent higher that the year-ago average of $2.145.
"People are very interested in hybrids," said Lauren Holzman, a spokeswoman for the auto show, which runs through Sunday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. "You wouldn't believe how many people were calling about which hybrids were going to be at the show. People care about saving money. It's so expensive filling up the gas tank these days."
The biggest complaint against hybrids so far has been the cost, both the sticker price and price of replacing the batteries, which runs about $3,000.
David Keegan, sales and leasing representative for Desert Toyota of Las Vegas, said the Prius comes with an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on the "synergy drive system," which is in its third generation of production.
Desert Toyota's monthly allocation of 18 or 19 Prius models is presold within three to six months of arrival, he said.
"What's really going to launch the hybrid market is the success of the Camry. I think you'll start to see a total shift in the market," Keegan said.
Toyota also has the hybrid Highlander SUV, which sells for $35,000 to $40,000 and gets 33 miles a gallon in the city and 27 on the highway. Unlike gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrids often get better mileage in the city than on the highway.
That's why Arman Torosyan, product specialist for Lexus of Las Vegas, recommends the $50,000 Lexus RX 400, the first luxury SUV hybrid, to customers who do more city driving. It gets 27 miles a gallon in the city, compared with 18 miles from the $45,000 RX 330 gas-powered SUV.
With 268 horsepower, the RX 400 is a full second quicker than the RX 330 from 0 to 60 mph, he said.
Lexus' next hybrid will be the GS450. Eventually the LS sedan will be available as a hybrid.
"That's the way of the future," Torosyan said.
Chevrolet was showing the Silverado hybrid pickup. It's powered by a 5.3-liter, V-8 Vortec engine with three 14-volt batteries providing the electric power. At $30,000, the hybrid truck is only about $1,500 more than the gasoline version, Chevy representative Dave Craze said.
Gasoline mileage isn't outstanding -- 18 miles in the city and 21 highway -- but the truck provides two 110-volt, three-pronged electrical outlets in the cab and two more in the bed.
"What we've seen a lot of is construction companies buying the trucks because they still have the pulling power," he said. "You're saving 10 (percent) to 12 percent on gas every year."
Whereas the batteries on most hybrids cost about $3,000 to replace, the Silverado's batteries are about $250 each, Craze said.

"The rise of gas prices over the last few years has really sparked the interest of people curious about different transportation options," AAA Nevada spokesman Michael Geeser said. "While we recognize hybrid cars and other alternatively-fueled vehicles may not be for everyone, we think it's time to start building awareness for what is clearly the next chapter in the history of the automobile."