Time For A Trade-In

Prius-style hybrids may become the first victims of the disruptive technology shift that’s hitting the auto industry.

To most of us, Toyota’s snazzy Prius hybrid still seems like the cutting edge of cool, the latest and greatest technology in cars. But nine years after the Prius was introduced in the United States, some are calling it obsolete. “The hybrid is yesterday’s technology,” says San Francisco Mayor and recently announced California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom. To be sure, Newsom has a political ax to grind

The first victim of that rapid change may be the Prius-style hybrid. “The traditional hybrid is an in-between solution as we make the transition from gas engines to plug-in hybrids,” says Henrik Fisker, founder and CEO of Fisker Automotive, an Irvine, Calif.-based company whose new $87,500 sports sedan, called the Karma, uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Fisker, a legendary automotive designer who worked at BMW and Ford before striking out on his own, says the Prius-style hybrid is “very complicated” and “doesn’t make sense.” While the Prius delivers 46 miles per gallon, Fisker says the average owner of a Karma will get 100 miles per gallon