Are hybrids IN demand anywhere other than CA?
I read a few months ago the lawsuits are starting because buyers are not getting the gas mileage they expected from hybrids, NOT EVEN CLOSE.
That also is a result of government regulations. Milage tests assume a fully charged battery, which is partially discharged by hybrids. The Government runs the tests, and mandates what the milage stickers say. It is a federal crime for the companies to tell you that the milage is or might be anything different from what is on those mandated stickers.
Oh, and as for non-hybrids, the milage varies with them too, since the tests are done with a standard formulation of gasoline...which you can't legally buy at a gas station. You are forced to buy gasoline with a lower energy content instead.