Carmakers managed to sell 315,761 hybrids during the year, just 2.4 percent of the automotive market overall. But, right up at the top of the heap, declines or not, was Toyota with the venerable Prius. Three out of every four hybrids on the roads in this country is a Prius, a hybrid that may someday be regarded as the Model T of its genre. Still, however, Prius sales perfectly mirror what was going on in the country last year. Sales for the first half of the year were 91,440; for the second half 67,444.

Other hybrid makers’ results were:

- Ford: 19,522 down from 25,108 in 2007
- GM: 14,439, up from 5,175 in 2007
- Nissan: 8,819 down from 8,388  in 2007
- Honda: 31,495 down from 35,980 in 2007

GM’s Bob Lutz said it all at the Detroit auto show in early January. “At $1.50 a gallon, the American public is not willing to pay for fuel-saving technology.” Now green advocates will be looking to the Obama administration to see if new incentives for hybrid purchases are in the offing and to carmakers themselves to see if they can, as a result of their federal bailout, get affordable hybrid products on the showroom floor.

Smart Dashboard

As if our cars don’t talk to us enough already, it looks like the Technical University of Berlin is working on an intelligent dashboard that will start switching stuff off in the event of driver distratction. Few details, but you can read the original post over at Engadget.

Trev from Australia

Via Engadget (via Treehugger) we have a few details on a two-seater electric from Down Under, a project of the University of South Australia. Technically this is in the same genre as the tilting vehicles we wrote about a few days back, as the driver and passenger sit one behind the other. Beyond that the Trev has a much more car-like appearance, with a cool wrap-around windshield. Runs at a top speed of 75 mph and does zero to 60 in 10 seconds. (Here’s Autoblog Green’s take on the same story.)

Then of course there’s also the fact that Toyota gave in to the dark side and pumped out vehicles like the LS600h that are more about consumer pleasing power and less about true hybrid-ness. The company lost its Consumer Reports recommendation, has had issues with safety ratings on the Highlander, and fielded criticism over fuel efficiency on some 2009 models, in particular the Corolla. But oh no, they’re not generating an entire advertising campaign built on the brand’s commitment to the environment, social responsibility, and economic impact just to clean up their image.

They want Americans to get to know them better.

Right.

Check out toyota.com/whynot for a taste of the “Why Not” ad campaign.

I confess my head spins a little when I start trying to sort out this battery tech stuff, but let’s face it, the question boils down to two things — range and power. The buying public is more than ready for the emerging concept of a city car — a small, efficient vehicle for use in our over-crowded cities. But the thing is going to have to run for more than a few miles and it’s going to have to have some pick-up to handle traffice. Add to that my major concern; these things are going to have to come in at a price point that will allow folks to have two cars. Right now, I can’t, no matter how much I like the idea.

Check out the Popular Mechanics article. Interesting stuff and definitely the direction in which our driving lives are headed.

They’re planning on a whole range of “premium” environmentally friendly cars with the first one set to make its public debut at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. (That’s in January if you keep track of such.)

The company has opening plans of around 15,000 units a year at price tags under $100,000. And they’re all going to be plug-in hybrids. Read that again in case you blinked. Plug-in hybrids.

Alan Niedzwiecki, the CEO of Quantum, had this to say in the corporate press release. “Our goal here is to deliver the advancement that Quantum Technologies has made in the area of plug-in hybrid technology. By combining our efforts with the renowned design talent of Henrick Fisker, we can produce a car that makes a difference to the environment — without sacrificing the luxury that accompanies the finies automobiles.”

Okay, do I even need to say, “Drool?” We’ll definitely be watching the Detroit shows for photos of the first Fisker.

Named to evoke a similarly titled MTV show, Ford’s new ads feature new-car owners who were asked to swap their just-purchased vehicles with Fords for a week, and offer their unbiased opinions. In an effort to conceal their identity from the drivers solicited, Ford even created a fake market-research company to serve as a point of contact, and operate the campaign.

Toby Barlow, co-president and executive creative director at Ford’s creative agency, JWT Team Detroit, told the New York Times, “We wanted raw, unbiased opinions. We didn’t want them to think they were in a TV commercial. We needed a trick to get real objectivity and honest responses.”

In addition to television spots featuring sound bites like one man asking if he can keep the Ford he’s been testing, FordChallenge.com has been launched, and will include video, blogs, and other testimonials from drivers who participated.