This is part 1 of a six-part series on 2008 hybrids.
It's unlikely Ferdinand Verbiest was known as an environmentalist nor did he likely have a quest to be "green." But as a Jesuit priest of Belgian ancestry living and working in China, Verbiest was a visionary.
Four centuries ago, give or take a few years, Verbiest was a renowned astronomer. But he also spent more than a decade developing a four-wheeled vehicle that could be powered by steam or horse. It was the first hybrid and it was short-lived.
Depending upon one's perspective, either a lot or not much changed in hybrid cars until 1997. That's when Toyota debuted the Prius only to car buyers in Japan.
A decade later, the automotive industry is fully engrossed in the world of hybrid and other alternatively powered cars.
The Prius remains at the forefront of the industry, accounting for about half of 350,000 hybrids sold in the United States in 2007. But while the high-mileage Toyota dominates the market, an ever-expanding array of manufacturers know there's plenty of room for everyone. Less than three percent of new cars sold in the country last year were hybrids.
As such, economy to luxury, sedans to pickup trucks, more than 65 hybrid choices will be available in the United States by 2010.
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