Hybrid interest grows when gas price rises

Online requests for large sport-utility vehicles that receive less than 20 miles per gallon were down 20 percent January through April, while requests for pickup trucks fell 21 percent, according to data collected from about 1 million shoppers using Autobytel Inc., an online car-buying referral site. Meanwhile, requests for cars averaging more than 25 mpg have surged 33 percent. Purchasing interest in Toyota’s hybrid offering, the Prius, posted a 73 percent increase, while interest shot up 37 percent for the Honda Civic and 33 percent for the Mini Cooper. "This is the first time in recent memory we’ve seen such a strong shift all pointing in one direction,” said Brian Chee, Autobytel’s Web site editor. In fact, since the data also showed greater interest in smaller sedans and SUVs, buyers appear to be interested in “shopping down in size or up in fuel economy,” he said. © 2008 The Associated Press.