Five Cool Hybrids to Consider in 2008

It's unlikely Ferdinand Verbiest was known as an environmentalist nor did he likely have a quest to be "green." But as a Jesuit priest of Belgian ancestry living and working in China, Verbiest was a visionary.

Four centuries ago, give or take a few years, Verbiest was a renowned astronomer. But he also spent more than a decade developing a four-wheeled vehicle that could be powered by steam or horse. It was the first hybrid and it was short-lived.

Depending upon one's perspective, either a lot or not much changed in hybrid cars until 1997. That's when Toyota debuted the Prius only to car buyers in Japan.

A decade later, the automotive industry is fully engrossed in the world of hybrid and other alternatively powered cars.

The Prius remains at the forefront of the industry, accounting for about half of 350,000 hybrids sold in the United States in 2007. But while the high-mileage Toyota dominates the market, an ever-expanding array of manufacturers know there's plenty of room for everyone. Less than three percent of new cars sold in the country last year were hybrids.

As such, economy to luxury, sedans to pickup trucks, more than 65 hybrid choices will be available in the United States by 2010.

Here's a look at five 2008 hybrid offerings:

* Chevrolet Malibu - Base price, $22,1400; Safety Features, dual-front, front side and side curtain airbags; Fuel Mileage estimates, 22-27 mpg; Warranty, Bumper to Bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles; Powertrain, 5 years/100,000 miles; Corrosion, 6 years/100,000 miles.

It's hard not to Malibu advertisements. With its keen redesign for 2008, Chevrolet put everything it had into the marketing of the car named after the southern California beach city.

The promotion began in earnest during the World Series and it hasn't waned. Chevrolet wants the Malibu to compete with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and that's a hefty task.

With it hybrid version, new for 2008, the Malibu feature GMC's "mild hybrid system" rather than its dual mode full hybrid system.