The better hybrids get the closer they will get to pure electric cars. Really the gasoline is just there to increase range. If you can increase range without gas and also shorten charging times, that's where the money is.
The next big discussion will be about particulates. CO2 is not behind us, but we have to go to 99g/km by 2020. So, diesel has been growing because that CO2 average is easier to achieve with diesel. But the cost of purifying a diesel car is going to rise, so in the future, these engines are going to cost a lot more… For us, [petrol] hybrid is the answer.
The other thing is that with gas prices going down you don't even get as much savings in fuel costs. It is a big issue working against hybrids generally right now.One think i have noticed with the NX hybrid is how much more it is in price, which can be quite discouraging to get one. Not sure what that will do to sales but, I expected it to not be as much as it is.