WHEN Tom Weatherbee swapped his minivan for a Toyota Prius hybrid two years ago, he was mostly hoping to save money at the gas pump.
But he was pleasantly surprised by both the requests from friends for a test drive and the grins its aerodynamic profile drew at the grocery store, and he basked in the attention.
"Even the people who own more expensive cars acknowledge the Prius as being pretty cool," said Weatherbee, 51, an electrical engineer who lives outside Traverse City, Michigan, the United States.
That, in a nutshell, is the challenge for Toyota Motor Co as it looks to build on the success of the Prius, the leading hybrid vehicle in the United States, and for rivals such as Honda Motor Co and General Motors Corp, which are seeking a share of the projected boom in greener cars.
Even with US gas prices over US$3 a gallon, up 50 percent in three years, marketing experts say US buyers want hybrids that not only reduce fuel consumption and emissions but also make a statement about the driver's commitment to the environment.
Toyota's Prius, with a list price of US$21,100 and fuel consumption of 19 kilometers per liter, commanded 51 percent of the US hybrid market in 2007. Now the leading Japanese auto maker is considering extending the Prius line-up - effectively making it a brand on its own.
GM, meanwhile, is focusing on its all-electric Chevrolet Volt in a bid to create its own "halo" car. Although GM will not sell the Volt until at least 2010, it has already started featuring it in TV ads. GM invited more than 200 Volt enthusiasts from all over the US to the New York auto show to meet designers and developers.
Honda's Civic hybrid, at US$22,600 and with the same fuel consumption as the Prius, is the No. 2 hybrid in the US but was outsold by the Toyota vehicle by more a more than five-to-one margin in 2007.
Hybrids, which shift between a battery and a combustion engine to boost fuel economy, made up just three percent of US sales in 2007.
But growth was 40 percent from the previous year, and there is plenty of room for that to continue, given that they account for just 0.3 percent of registered vehicles. Gas-thirsty SUVs, by contrast, account for more than 14 percent of vehicles on the road.
Jon Osborn, research director at consulting and research firm J.D. Power & Associates, said car makers must tailor their message to a small but emerging market.
"Only about six percent of the US population buys a new car each year," Osborn said. "It's not quite a needle in a haystack, but it's a small target to shoot for."
One complication for car makers has been inaccurate market research. In research groups, car buyers have said they would consider buying a car that looked just like established models, with just a badge on the back to identify it as a hybrid.
But George Peterson, president of consulting firm AutoPacific Inc in Tustin, California, said that is where everyone except for Toyota have missed the mark.
"Our respondents are lying through their teeth," Peterson said.
"The dramatically different look of the Prius is something that's appealing," he said.
"The Ford Escape and Toyota Camry hybrid have not been as successful because they don't look as different."
Toyota questions that analysis.
"The buyer is not necessarily trying to make a statement," according to Toyota spokeswoman Denise Morrissey. "They're trying to make a smart choice."