100,000 Toyota Prius Hybrid Cars for 2005 U.S. Market

O.K., maybe 100,000 Toyota Prius hybrid cars doesn't seem like that much, but it is. Let us not forget that the hybrid car has only been in production for a few short years. The fact that after just a couple of years, Toyota is planning to increase U.S. production by 50 percent says a lot. Moreover, this is the third time since last October that Toyota - the current undisputed heavyweight of hybrid technology - has had to increase production.

Some analysts expect that 100,000 hybrid cars might be enough to cover the hybrid car buyer's market, but what if those experts are wrong? What if demand once again pushes another increase in production?

Obviously, oil prices could be a critical factor, and everything about oil points to anything but cheaper prices. Recently a Business Week commentary by Bruce Nussbaum argues that $50 a barrel isn't a fluke, but a new norm.

The current upswing in oil prices has pushed many car buyers out of the SUV market, or at least out of the large SUV. Fuel efficiency is becoming a concern and fuel efficient automobiles are of interest to more and more car buyers every day that oil stays high.

Now that Honda is entering the market with the Accord Hybrid Car, real choice in the hybrid car market is just around the corner. Already the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV is producing long waiting lists. One can only expect the Accord Hybrid to do as well.

So now, real hybrid car choices include a futuristic sedan, the popular Honda Sedan, and an SUV. Plus the luxury Lexus RX Hybrid SUV and several other models will also be released in limited numbers this year

Times are changing. Automotive technology, via the internal combustion engine, has changed little since it was created in Germany in the late 1800's. Today, the effects of the internal combustion engine on the planet are much more evident. Many people have had enough of the pollution, of the wars and of the environmental destruction caused by our petroleum-based economy.

Hybrid cars represent a real innovation, a step towards the future. While oil will continue to be important to U.S. and world economies, a new energy era awaits the world, and hybrid vehicles are a step in the right direction.

American automakers have continued a long tradition of profiteering at the expense of the American automobile consumer. For a long time, the only issue regarding cars in the American market was American-made v. Foreign-made. Well, the global economy has ensured that there is no such thing as a fully-American made auto.

Therefore, a new choice has emerged. To purchase a car that stands for creating a better world, or to purchase a car that stands for oil wars, pollution, environmental destruction and future shock.

The choice is yours.

Join the Hybrid Car Buyers Club.