State, L.A. Top Market for Hybrids

California is the nation’s hothouse for hybrid-powered cars, according to car registration data to be released today.

Nationally, 44,435 hybrid vehicles were registered in 2003, up 26% from 2002. And California consumers registered 11,425 of the gas-electric powered vehicles, or slightly more than a quarter of the nation’s total, according to R.L. Polk & Co., a Michigan firm that compiles vehicle registration information. California typically accounts for only about 12% of the nation’s sales of new passenger vehicles.

The number of hybrids is expected to grow as gasoline prices rise and more manufacturers enter the hybrid market, said Lonnie Miller, Polk’s chief analyst.

For now the hybrid market is shared by two firms: Toyota Motor Corp., which makes the Prius, and Honda Motor Co., which has the Insight two-seat coupe and the Civic Hybrid sedan.

Honda’s Civic Hybrid was the top model registered in the U.S. last year: 21,750 Civic Hybrids versus 20,387 Priuses, according to Polk. Sales of Honda’s Insight have slowed dramatically since its 1999 debut as the first hybrid in the U.S. Only 1,298 Insights were registered last year. But the two models combined gave Honda 53% of the market compared with Toyota’s 47% share.

The lead seems to be changing, though.

Toyota, which introduced a third-generation Prius for the 2004 model year with futuristic styling and more space and power than its predecessor, sold 9,918 hybrids in this year’s first quarter, versus 6,000 Civic Hybrids and 187 Insights.

Hybrid vehicles combine two power sources, usually a gasoline engine and an electric motor, boosting fuel economy and reducing emissions. Toyota’s system is called a full hybrid because its vehicles can run as purely electric vehicles at low speeds. Honda’s system always uses gas for propulsion and is considered a mild hybrid.

Several other automakers are poised to join the hybrid market as growing public acceptance of the vehicles has combined with political pressure in the U.S. for cars with cleaner emissions and better gas mileage.

Ford Motor Co. plans to introduce a full hybrid version of its Escape small sport utility vehicle this summer. General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Group have announced mild hybrid models of several pickup trucks, and Nissan Motor Co. is introducing a full hybrid version of its Altima sedan next year. Toyota and Honda also will be adding to their stables with a Honda Accord hybrid and Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX400 hybrid SUVs.

Many of those models probably will be seen on the streets in Southern California: The Polk data show Los Angeles as the top hybrid market with 4,701 vehicle registrations last year -- 11% of the nation’s total.