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The sale of hybrid vehicles is beginning to take off. This increase in sales is greatly due to the current price at the pump for gasoline. The saving of gas money is not the only reason though that more people are buying hybrids. Hybrid vehicles are now being produced by more and more car manufacturers thus allowing consumers to have better choices. Here is a look at what Hybrid Vehicles are scheduled to be available in 2005 and beyond.

The hybrid revolution began with just a couple of car choices being available to American consumers. The leader of the pack, the one that seemed to spark the whole hybrid push in the marketplace, was the Toyota Prius. This was the first hybrid vehicle to be sold in the United States.

Prius is a Latin word meaning “to go before”. It indeed did come before all other hybrids in the U.S. It has held strong and is consistently increasing sales so much that in 2005 Toyota has had a hard time keeping production up with the demand. Toyota has even doubled the production of this vehicle for 2005 to catch up with the back-orders.

The Honda Civic hybrid was the second hybrid to come to the American shores. The first generation Civic hybrid that is out cannot function on electric power-only when at low speeds, which the Prius can do. The second generation Civic hybrid that comes out late in 2005 will change this as well as offering greater performance, fuel efficiency and even better styling.

Honda has also begun production of a hybrid version of its very popular Accord model. Consumer reports picked the Accord as the best family sedan and now in 2005 you can buy a hybrid version. What is amazing is that Honda claims the Accord hybrid is faster than the conventional Accord V6. The Honda Accord hybrid uses a third generation system. This system gives the hybrid Accord the extra power with better fuel efficiency.

The next step up after the aforementioned sedans is a small sports utility vehicle (SUV). The 2005 Ford Escape hybrid was the first hybrid SUV available in the U.S. The hybrid Escape is similar to the conventional version in its size and comfort level but allows you to have a step up in size from the sedan sized hybrid.

The Escape hybrid allows a family to own an SUV without being as concerned about the fuel efficiency they will get. The Escape hybrid has a variable transmission system that allows for the spreading of power to go between the gasoline engine and the electric motor. The distribution of the power varies due to the driving conditions it the vehicle is experiencing. This system allows the gas engine to shut off when the electric engine is able to provide enough power to run the SUV hybrid. This technology is what allows the Escape to give the driver better gas mileage.

Larger hybrid SUVs are also becoming available in 2005. The large SUV hybrids that are scheduled to be produced and sold in 2005 are the Toyota Highlander, Mercury Mariner and the Lexus RX400h. The Toyota Highlander hybrid is a hot commodity that is hard to find. Toyota will step up production in 2006 to help meet the consumer demand for the vehicle. The Mercury Mariner is also hard to find with the main supply believed to show up in 2006. Mercury’s big claim for the Mariner hybrid is that it works as well off-road as it does on normal roadway surfaces. That is something that one who enjoys off-roading will want if looking to purchase an SUV hybrid.

The Lexus RX400h is supposed to be the world’s most luxurious hybrid SUV according to Lexus. Lexus is known for making vehicles that exude luxury and comfort and they want to continue that reputation with their SUV hybrid. Lexus is a part of the Toyota family of car makers so it combines Toyota’s extensive hybrid technology with the stylish and elegant feel of a Lexus. This SUV hybrid promises to give you a luxurious hybrid sport utility vehicle that will out-perform most gasoline powered cars.

The last category of hybrid vehicles sold in 2005 is trucks. General Motors (GM) is the leader in hybrid trucks with two models coming out in 2005. GM is introducing both the Silverado Mild hybrid and Sierra Mild hybrid in limited quantities.

GM has decided to focus on larger trucks and SUV hybrid technology that is termed as mild. Mild means it is a lower-cost hybrid system compare to a full hybrid system, such as those made by Toyota. The mild hybrid system is easier to integrate into current models because fewer modifications are needed. These hybrid truck models are only going to be sold in a few select states at first.

The year of 2005 is showing more offerings than ever before in the hybrid category.There are sedans, sport utility vehicles and trucks to pick from if a person is shopping for an environment friendly hybrid motor vehicle. There are more models on the horizon as well.

The years beyond 2005 promise to be filled with more technological advances and more hybrid models to chose from. The car manufacturers have released the following list of hybrid vehicles that are to come out in the next few years. These vehicles are in addition to the current line up that is being sold.

In 2006 the Toyota Highlander hybrid should be available nationwide instead of in such limited supplies. Same goes for the Mercury Mariner hybrid. The newest addition to the hybrid models will be the Saturn Vue hybrid due out sometime during 2006.

In 2007 more manufacturers are promising hybrids. The lineup announced so far includes hybrids versions of the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Malibu, GM Yukon, Mazda Tribute and Nissan Altima. So once again the car makers are planning a nice mixture of sedans, trucks and SUVs.

The price of gas and the finite amount of fossil fuel available is finally getting car manufacturers to use technology to try and relieve some of this strain. Hybrid vehicles have recently started being sold in the U.S. In 2005 and beyond the choices will continue to grow so that hopefully there will be a perfect model for anyone interested in purchasing a hybrid vehicle.