When is a hybrid not?

When it's a Chevy. Here are specifications for the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu and its main competition, the 2008 Toyota Camry, both vehicles available in conventional as well as hybrid versions:

Model	Malibu	Malibu	Camry	Camry
Hybrid	no	1-mode	no	2-mode
Body Type	sedan	sedan	sedan	sedan
Engine Size, l	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4
Cylinders	4	4	4	4
Auto. Transmission	4-speed	4-speed	5-speed	5-speed
Weight, lb	3,436	3,537	3,285	3,637
Power, hp	169	164	155	147
Torque, ft-lb	160	159	161	192
Trim Level	LS	HY	LE	HY
MSR Price, US$	$19,345	$22,140	$21,075	$25,200
EPA Urban mpg	22	24	21	33
EPA Highway mpg	30	32	31	34
EPA Combined mpg	25	27	25	34
Gasoline, US$/yr	$1,800	$1,667	$1,800	$1,324
Hybrid mpg Gain		8%		36%
Payback, years		21		9

The single-mode technology of the Malibu Hybrid provides just a marginal improvement in efficiency. At $3 per gallon for gasoline, driving 15,000 miles per year, payback of the cost difference over the conventional base model takes more than 20 years. Chevrolet is trying to compete with Toyota on car prices, offering inferior technology. The last twenty years of automotive history indicates that the strategy will fail. Toyota shows how to get almost a real 35 mpg vehicle, not by 2020 but this year, at a reasonable price and without giving up comfort and performance.