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Gasoline Electric Hybrid Vehicles Create Stir September 2004How much do some people want a gasoline-electric hybrid car? Enough to pay thousands of dollars more than the manufacturer's suggested price.On Internet auction site eBay Inc., sellers are advertising Toyota Motor Corp.'s 2004 model year Prius at thousands of dollars above the list price. Prius, which according to government tests gets up to 60 miles from a single gallon of gasoline, is a popular hybrid that the industry sees as a bellwether for that segment of the market. In some cases, used models are selling on eBay for more than those that have never been out of the showroom. In early September, a new Prius with the second-highest package of options had attracted a starting bid of $27,465, more than $5,000 above the list price. Another Prius, slightly used with 1,250 miles on the clock, was bid at $28,500. "Demand has been overwhelming," said Kevin Kolozsy, a salesman at Joe Heitz Toyota in Clarksville, Tennessee. The dealership gets about 10 calls a week from buyers looking for a Prius, but it has only been getting new vehicles from the manufacturer at a rate of about one a month. Record-high U.S. fuel prices have prompted consumers to turn their attention to the growing array of vehicles designed to run on gasoline and electricity. Hybrids use batteries to power themselves at slower speeds. The batteries charge automatically from the electric motor and by capturing energy that is usually lost while braking. SOURCE: Reuters | ||
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