Unfortunately, I have to disagree with you on that. The Toyota and Honda Hybrids cost and perform about the same, and are about the same size. Yet the Toyota is outselling the Honda to such an extent that Honda is canceling its entry. The reason? The Toyota looks funny. People are buying it to say to their neighbors and friends: "LOOK AT ME! I OWN A HYBRID"
Toyota (and Lexus and Ford) build true hybrids that can run in an electric only mode at low speeds. Honda (and some other hybrid manufacturers) use the electric motor to assist the gasoline engine only when additional power is needed. This is the reason that Toyota sells more hybrids - they have a better design.
I don’t know. Toyota really got the jump on Honda on the marketing...and how large is the market for the people that want to show that they are ‘saving’ the planet?