Hybrids

With gas prices continuing a steady upward climb, you may be headed to the dealer in search of something less thirsty at the pump. But which cars' sticker price gives you the most bang for your buck? We asked Edmunds.com to look at the vehicles with the lowest sticker price per fuel-economy rating. The math was simple: divide the car's base price by its EPA rating for combined fuel economy. The result gives a look at how much each mile per gallon will cost you. Photos: Top 10 cars with lowest cost per mpg Topping the list is Ford's C-Max Energi.

Since introducing the first Prius in Japan back in 1997, Toyota Motor Corp. has sold 5 million hybrids worldwide, including 2 million in the U.S., the automaker said Wednesday. Toyota said the owners of its hybrids have saved more than 3 billion gallons of gasoline compared with vehicles powered by gasoline only. According to Department of Energy estimates, the hybrid vehicles on the road today save nearly 500 million gallons of petroleum annually in the U.S. "Toyota not only created the hybrid segment, they have consistently dominated it since launching the Prius in the U.S. back in 2000," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book.

Toyota Motor Corp. announced two safety recalls for its flagship Prius hybrid. The automaker said the steering intermediate extension shafts in 670,000 Prius cars sold in the U.S. need to be inspected and in some cases replaced. And 350,000 of those hybrids also will have to have their electric water pumps replaced. Toyota will recall another 2 million vehicles worldwide, including the Prius and the Corolla, to fix the same problems.   The gas-sipping Prius has become an important vehicle for Toyota, giving the company a reputation for producing fuel-efficient, green vehicles and quietly becoming one of the best sellers in the automaker's lineup.

Easing gas prices haven't put a dent in hybrid sales. Through the first quarter of this year, sales of hybrids rose 19% over the same period a year ago, according to Autodata Corp. The data include both conventional hybrid models and plug-ins, such as the Chevrolet Volt, which are rechargeable and can travel on electricity only for some distance before a gas engine kicks in and extends the car's range. The growth came when sales of all types of autos rose a little more than 6% during the same period.

HANFORD, Calif. - Combining the high sugar and flavor of cherries with the larger fruit size and extended season of plums has been a longstanding dream for fruit breeders, but such crosses are difficult to make successfully so that the hybrids yield abundant high-quality fruit. Zaiger's Genetics of Modesto, the inventors of Pluots and Apriums, managed the trick, and the fruit started showing up several years ago in very small quantities at upstate farmers markets; this year vendors at local farmers markets have begun offering plum-cherry hybrids, and the first commercial orchard has started bearing fruit.

It used to be that a peach was a peach and a plum was a plum, and that was it. Now, however, breeders are coming up with complex hybrids between species, such as fruits that are a combination of peaches, apricots and plums, and cherries or nectarines and plums. Making these kinds of interspecific crosses opens up a promising range of possibilities for growers and consumers, but what to call the resulting fruits? No one really knows. We're in the initial stages of a paradigm shift in which names of fruit types are becoming unmoored from their genetics and are being chosen primarily for marketing and convenience.

Re "40 mpg? Congress just might go for it," Feb. 12 As usual, Congress is really getting tough on Detroit -- going to force automakers to meet 40 mpg standards within 10 years! The cars are already on the road. Ever hear of hybrids and diesels? Simply mandate that all new 2008 cars and trucks must be 40 mpg hybrids or diesels. The car companies will whine and snivel that it can't be done, but it can. Some of the cars are already manufactured in hybrid or standard model versions.

Travelers, you've made your voices heard. Whether you want to lessen your pain at the pump or reduce your carbon footprint (or both), you can find more hybrid and biofuel-powered rental cars these days. Just remember, though, that you may be going green, but you won't necessarily be saving green. If you're in L.A., San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta or Miami, you'll have a good shot at finding a hybrid. Here's who's doing what: * Enterprise, National and Alamo rent Ford, Toyota and Saturn hybrids, and they offer carbon offsets through TerraPass, a company that strives to reduce the negative effects on the climate of driving a car. Renters contribute $1.25 per rental, and TerraPass uses funds for an emissions-offset project.

You might think that a $1 increase in gasoline prices would result in a big boost for the sale of hybrids and electric vehicles. Not so, according to a new report by Experian Automotive. The Schaumberg, Ill., group says sales of small gas-powered cars would climb quickest, while sales of some hybrids would actually fall during such an increase. Experian said the results were gleaned in part from a study on the effect of rising fuel prices on various vehicle segments over a five-year period.

Supporters of green-car technology like hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars say they were happy to hear that automakers like Ford and Honda are expanding the number of dealerships who can sell those cars. Honda's 2013 Honda Fit EV, launched in California and Oregon in July, will be added to dealerships in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New York and New Jersey. Ford Motor Co. is accelerating dealership certification for its plug-in electrified vehicles from 200 to 900 dealers.

Devon Kennard found his niche. The fifth-year senior came to USC as a defensive end, started at outside linebacker near the end of his freshman season, played middle linebacker as a sophomore and was a defensive end in 2011. Kennard redshirted last season because of a chest muscle injury suffered on the eve of training camp. This spring, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Kennard has appeared perfectly cast as an end-linebacker hybrid in a scheme installed by new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.

Even before the release of her debut album, the English singer Jessie Ware was attracting next-big-thing buzz with appearances on tracks by cutting-edge dance-music artists such as SBTRKT and Joker. But she wasn't born hip. "Growing up, I was the person told about things by other mates - the tastemakers," Ware admitted recently, adding that she also discovered music the way many teenagers did in the pre-YouTube era: through pop radio and MTV. "I copied every move from Jennifer Lopez's videos and studied every breakdown in Montell Jordan's songs," she said, referring to the R&B singer who hit No. 1 in 1995 with "This Is How We Do It. " "I wasn't at the forefront of new,  new  music.

It's nip-and-tuck time for Porsche's Pana mera sedan. A midlife refresh will give 2014 models an updated look, a long wheelbase option and new engine choices, including a turbocharged V-6 and a plug-in hybrid. All three variations will make their world debut April 21 at the Shanghai Auto Show. The greenest of the Panamera models makes a notable shift from hybrid to plug-in hybrid. Undoubtedly the byproduct of what the company is learning from the plug-in 918 supercar coming to market later this year , the Panamera announced Wednesday will be officially known as the Panamera S E-hybrid.

When Ferrari's biggest and baddest supercar is a hybrid, you know the world has changed. Once considered the province of techies and the eco-friendly, hybrids are catching on in almost every vehicle segment. Hybrid sales were up 32% in the first two months of this year compared with the same period last year, according to research firm Autodata Corp. That's driven by a combination of trends, including upward-creeping gas prices, a growing track record for reliability and the wider selection of hybrid offerings - everything from the entry-level Toyota Prius C to the spacious Ford Fusion sedan to the LaFerrari, a 949-horsepower, million-dollar monster.

Subaru introduced its first pairing of hybrid power and all-wheel-drive in its Crosstrek crossover today at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, along with a concept performance car. The 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid is a hybrid version of the funky crossover hatchback the automaker introduced for 2013. PHOTOS: Subaru brings Crosstrek Hybrid and WRX CONCEPT to N.Y. The hybrid version pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a small electric motor to make the same amount of horsepower and pound-feet of torque as the gas-only model: 148 and 145, respectively.

You didn't need a crystal ball to know that Infiniti was bringing a hybrid crossover to the 2013 New York Auto Show. With parent company Nissan announcing a hybrid Pathfinder earlier on Wednesday, no one was surprised when Infiniti announced its version of the same vehicle just a few hours later. (Infiniti also told us it was doing this several weeks ago.) The new luxury hybrid is dubbed the QX60 Hybrid. This seven-passenger crossover was originally launched as the JX, but Infiniti recently changed its nomenclature on all its products.

Honda Civic owners from Sacramento to Carlsbad, Calif., took off from work to attend an unusual Small Claims Court case in Torrance, where a lone consumer has sued American Honda Motor Co. over fuel economy claims. The hearing Wednesday represented round two of a case that has garnered national attention pitting Honda Civic hybrid owner Heather Peters against the automotive giant. Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan heard testimony from Peters and Honda.

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to review Consumer Reports test data indicating that two Ford Motor Co. hybrids don't get the fuel economy claimed on the window stickers of the vehicles. Except to confirm that it was seeking more information, the agency, which monitors fuel-economy ratings, declined to discuss the scope of its review of Ford's mileage claims for the Fusion and C- Max hybrids. Earlier this year, the EPA tested multiple Hyundai and Kia models that had become the focus of consumer complaints about fuel-economy ratings, and ordered changes to the labels.

Subaru announced Wednesday it's dipping its toe into the hybrid waters. The company will bring a hybrid version of its funky XV Crosstrek crossover hatchback to the New York Auto Show on March 27. The automaker didn't announce any specifics on the powertrain, but did say the hybrid would be in keeping with Subaru's all-wheel-drive ethos (excluding the BR-Z sports car). Subaru also said that the hybrid powertrain was engineered in-house, rather than relying on one sourced from another automaker.