2007 Hybrid Vehicle Guide

Honda and Toyota led in bringing hybrid automobiles to America just as the 21st century got underway. Honda's Insight was an ultra-lightweight two-seater, while the Toyota Prius was a curious-looking but otherwise conventional four-door sedan. Redesigning of the Prius for 2004 cemented its position as the top-selling hybrid automobile in America.


Ford launched a pair of compact hybrid SUVs for 2005. Honda dropped its Insight after the 2006 model year, but only after introducing the Civic Hybrid sedan for 2003 and a larger Accord Hybrid two years later. Toyota added a Highlander Hybrid SUV for 2006, and its Lexus luxury division joined with a pair of hybrid models. Toyota's Camry and the Nissan Altima, major players in the sedan market, have adopted available hybrid powertrains for 2007.


Toyota has a pair of hybrids emerging for 2008. The redesigned Highlander SUV will include a full-electric mode for the first time. Lexus is adding a hybrid-powered variant of its full-size luxury sedan, called the LS 600h. Among the import brands, only Toyota, Honda and Nissan have hybrids on sale. DaimlerChrysler has not yet introduced a hybrid-powertrain model.


The redesigned 2007 Chevrolet Silverado is not available as a hybrid, and specifics for a hybrid system in future full-size trucks have not yet been announced, but the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic, which is the previous body style (and will not be continued in the 2008 model year) is available in a hybrid. A new two-mode hybrid system will be available on the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon in late 2007, as 2008 models.


GM's Saturn division, on the other hand, joined the hybrid flock this season with a Vue Green Line model. By spring 2007, though, production of the "green" Vue halted temporarily, awaiting redesign of Saturn's SUV as a 2008 model. Another Saturn hybrid, the Aura Green Line sedan, will debut late in the 2007 model year.