Why can't (won't) car companies wrap a high mileage hybrid in a sporty car body?

[TonyB]

I wouldn't buy a Prius because it is just plain ugly and so is the 4 door Civic (I would buy the 2 door counter part, but it does not come in a hybrid). For crying out loud a Nissan Z300, Porsche Cayman, Lotus Elise, etc., are not much bigger chasis wise - so why not pop a sport car body on to a hybrid frame. Just because it won't go fast vs. the fossil fuel counterparts wouldn't matter to me - I would get a great looking car and high gas mileage!

[MARCO]

Mutually exclusive. You can have high performance sports cars (zoom zoom) or economy.

[treehug]

although I agree, it won't happen overnight...too many people see "hybrid" as non-performance, whether it looks good or not...so its too much of a gamble to see if muscle heads will still buy a hybrid corvette, or a hybrid mustang...its just not what america wants, and no one is going to push them onto it...so nothing will get done...

[carcomplaints]

hehehe, because you cant have your cake and eat it to

[Porterhouse]

They are being forced to make hybrids. They aren't being forced to make them appealing so people would buy them.They still have WAY too much invested in the gas engine. If the make good looking hybrids, that would cut the sales of the gas only cars.

[gortonfisherman]

Check out the new on that is coming out in 2008 www.smartusa.com Maybe some day they will make a mini truck. 40 miles per gallon. Is that what ur looking for?

[Porterhouse]

Well, they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I personally find the Prius to be an attractive shape, although you clearly disagree...There are an increasing range of cars into which similar hybrid technology is being fitted, and certainly more will follow, doubtless including ones you don't consider "ugly". Already under the Lexus brand, there is the Lexus GS 450h, considered a "Five-passenger luxury sport sedan", and with the electric motors complementing a V6 engine, to give it better performance than its V8 non-hybrid counterpart (it also gets slightly better fuel efficiency and has all the advantages of a hybrid in stop/start or city driving, but its main selling point is on the increased performance).For something even sportier, the Tesla Roadster (a pure electric sports car, based on the Lotus Elise) is available to pre-order, with delivery expected in about a year for people joining the "Premium Buyer" list now.These are cars which not only look like high-performance / luxury cars, but actually are... manufacturers don't put cheap cars in expensive-looking bodies, as this would destroy a portion of the niche market which demands this exclusive look and feel, and is willing to pay the higher price to acquire it.

[StupidFlanders]

well look how long it took Saturn