To correct an earlier reference to Hondas and lean-burn, the Insight, which is now discontinued, was the last lean-burn Civic available. For 2006, both the lean-burn Civic HX went away and the hybrid no longer offered a lean-burn mode. They did this to improve emissions. NOx is very high in lean-burn, and thus expensive to clean up with exhaust aftertreatment. They chose to simply improve the engine efficiency in other ways and eliminate lean-burn.

Other than climbing hills at high speed weight does very, very little to lower your highway fuel economy once up to speed.

Patrick -

you are right for the case of long-distance highway cruising. In stop-and-go traffic, weight is the primary contributor to fuel consumption as it all needs to be accelerated in a reasonable timeframe. In conventional cars, all that kinetic energy is then frittered away at the next stop sign or traffic light. Hybrids recuperate at least a fraction of it, one reason why they save fuel in this type of traffic.

I think GM's strategy is actually rational, given that US emissions regs effectively preclude the use of diesel engines in LDVs. The gains due to hybridization are greater in large vehicles that are used in stop-and-go traffic. Those segments are GM's profit center and they are desperately trying to stem their decline in overall market share (since they cannot currently lay off surplus workers).

Their two-mode transmission is a drop-in replacement for the AT in many models and limits the losses in the electric path at highway speeds. I'd say that's an advance over Toyota's approach, as it needs to be given the late entry into the market (expected 2008). Same for DCX and BMW, who collaborated with GM on the two-mode solution.

GM is often written off on this forum and it has indeed made many mistakes in the past. Personally, I believe they will muddle through their current deep crisis and emerge a leaner, more innovative company. They may even break with the habit of promoting CFOs to the top job and give it to an engineer whenever Wagoner steps down.

>I get over 50mpg on the highway in my Prius. That's hardly doing nothing much.

Ah yes. The fantasy mpg numbers for hybrids.
I guess you don't run air conditioning
or headlights
or defroster
or anything except a low powered stereo
or heater
or go over 45-50 mph

I have several friends with hybrid Civics and one with a Prius. The admit that they only get mid 30s or so if any of the above are being used. One sold his Civic for a TDI Golf, after carpooling with another TDI Golf owner. Better mpg and performance in the Golf.

No battery car for me until the real world mpg improves drastically and it is mated to small diesel rather than gas burner.

I am so tired of hearing about these great parallel hybrid systems that these auto manufactures are so proud of. If they really were interested in getting high fuel economy they would be building series hybrids. GM is more than capable of building them. It's not like the ICE control system is difficult. It starts when you exceed 40mph or the battery is at 40% state of charge. It stops when you slow down and/or the battery is at 70% state of charge. The ICE is relatively small at roughly 1hp per 100lbs of gross vehical weight to cruise at 60mph. It runs at a constant rpm that is optimum for fuel economy. Better yet you use a turbine that is smaller, lighter, and far more efficient. But what do I know, I don't build locomotives or the EV1. Sorry GM but you asked for it. And don't even thinking about bringing up batteries because you had them and sold them to an oil company, for God's sake.

Mrnimmo:

Yee, right. On turbodiesel energy to power all that gadgets comes from parallel univerce.