Um, I believe the electric is only there to handle the low-speed part. Or something like that.
Yep. Although the 1.5 liter gasoline engine in the Prius is detuned to around 80 hp, the electric motor assists in getting the car up to highway speeds - and electric motors have lots of torque for low-rpm acceleration. I've seen several different horsepower ratings for the electric motor, but the average seems to be 70 hp. That's around 150 hp total, much more than the Prius's non-hybid sibling, the Toyota Echo.