Just a question for our European members: Are hybrids as popular there as they are in Japan and America? I figure at least the Italians would be into that.

I bet they aren't close to as popular, a Prius with a driver trying hella hard gets what 45mpg? An eco diesel in the uk can push 70mpg. Hell in one of the latest top gears Clarkson got better then that in a bigass Jag.

I bet they aren't close to as popular, a Prius with a driver trying hella hard gets what 45mpg? An eco diesel in the uk can push 70mpg. Hell in one of the latest top gears Clarkson got better then that in a bigass Jag.

That was my thought, diesels are much more common in Europe than they are here, and generally beat hybrids in the mileage department. Still, I just wanted to hear from someone that actually lives there.

In Europe Diesels and even Petrols achieve better mileage than Hybrids do.

That was my thought, diesels are much more common in Europe than they are here, and generally beat hybrids in the mileage department. Still, I just wanted to hear from someone that actually lives there.
Priuses are the only hybrid on the road here, and it's probably about 1 in 200 cars.

And there are a lot of diesels on the road - I'd guess at about a quarter of cars are diesel.

Yeah, even big hefty executive saloons like the 7-series or an A6 diesel get better mileage than a hybrid.

The italians aren't really into hybrids, but they are running an advertising campaing in the newspaper saying that Fiat is the record holder for lowest emissions in a particular class of car, and that the new Punto has a USB adaptor for you to plug a memory stick in, where it then downloads information on how you've been driving for you to put on your computer to tell you how to drive even more economically.

The focus in Europe is generally how you drive, rather than what you drive. I mean shit, if I drive carefully I can get my petrol car up to about 45mpg.
I think people have realised what bilge the Prius is too. "When you drive round town, it uses the battery. When you go on the motorway, or accelerate, or do anything else you normally do in a car, it uses the engine and charges the battery you hardly ever use." Woo!

EDIT: MunkeyQ, don't think I'm following you around or anything......
I just happened to be in the same threads as you at the same time.