In 2008 sales of gasoline-electric hybrids in the United States fell 9.9 percent as gasoline receded from a summer high of more than $4 and the auto market collapsed at year's end.

Total hybrid sales accounted for 2.4 percent of the total market, which translates to 315,761 units. Three out of every four of those hybrids were Toyota, with its segment pioneer, the Prius.

Toyota did not, however, escape the up and downs of the year, moving 91,440 hybrids in the first half of the year, but only 67,444 in the second half.

Broken down by manufacturer, Chrysler sold 81 hybrids for 2008, with no offering in the genre for 2007. Ford hybrid sales fell from 25,108 in 2007 to 19,552 in 2008, down 22.2 percent.

General Motors, which had new hybrids on showroom floors, picked up a 179% gain but still sold only 14,439 vehicles. Honda fell 12.5 percent from 35,980 in 2007 to 31, 495, with Nissan slipping 5.1 percent from 8,338 in 2007 to 8,819 in 2008.

Speaking at the Detroit auto show the week of January 12, General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said, "At $1.50 a gallon, the American public is not willing to pay for fuel-saving technology."

Lutz' comments reflect the fundamental difficulty in weaning Americans of their love of big, fast, gas guzzlers. These most recent figures suggest that until hybrid costs and performance can be brought in line with consumers' expectations, buying habits will revert to form whenever possible.