Yahoo! News - Hybrid Car Sales Rise 81 Percent in U.S.
If you build it, they will come. Are you listening, Detroit?

DETROIT - Hybrid vehicle sales nearly doubled in the United States last year as gas prices soared and a wider variety of models attracted consumers.

New hybrid vehicle registrations totaled 83,153 in 2004, an 81 percent increase over the year before, according to data released Monday by R.L. Polk & Co., which collects and interprets automotive data.

Still, hybrids represented less than 1 percent of the 17 million new vehicles sold in 2004. But the U.S. hybrid market has grown by 960 percent since 2000, when 7,781 were sold, according to the Polk data, and major automakers are planning to introduce about a dozen new hybrids during the next three years.

Lonnie Miller, director of analytical solutions for Southfield-based Polk, said federal and state tax credits for fuel-efficient vehicles have helped spur hybrid sales. More people also are buying into the idea that driving a hybrid is socially responsible, he said.

And, of course, innovation is leading the way. While American manufacturers complain about costs, the competition will continue to eat our lunch.

Toyota Motor Corp., which was the first automaker to commercially mass-produce and sell hybrid cars, continues to dominate the market. The Toyota Prius, which went on sale in the United States in 2000, occupied 64 percent of the U.S. hybrid market last year, with 53,761 new Prius cars registered, Polk said.

The Honda Civic hybrid was second with 31 percent market share. Honda Motor Co. also sold several hundred Accord and Insight hybrids, which each commanded 1 percent of the market.

Detroit's refusal to change and grow is killing us, especially here in Michigan. I hope these numbers wake some people up. We could be leading the way in new technology and creating good jobs if only they would stop dragging their feet.