Mainstreaming hybrids

Toyota has just announced that it will be producing a hybrid version of the best selling Toyota Camry. They will be built in a plant in Kentucky and produce roughly 48,000 hybrid Camrys a year. According to the article, that is just a few thousand less than the total Prius sales for the U.S. , which means that this will effectively double the number of Toyota hybrid passenger cars produced in the U.S. each year. While the hybrids will cost $3000-$5000 more than the gasoline Camrys, a $2000 government tax credit will help to defray the extra costs. I think it is nice to see that hybrids are starting to become more mainstream. I'm hoping that when I need to buy a new car after grad school that I can buy a hybrid.