car price: estima $280K - 350K,(2.4 -3.5L)
estima hybrid $400K above (2.4 engine with hybrid)
oil consumption (from japan toyota homepage)
estima 9.4km-12.4km/litre=0.095 to 0.08litre oil use per km.
e. hybrid 20km/litre = 0.05 litre oil use per km.
ie; hybrid save 37% oil consumption.
now oil = $13/litre, save 37% = 13X 0.37= $4.81
Car price different is about $120K ie. you need to save oil consumption of (120000/4.81) litre to balance the extra money u have paid.
= 24950Litre oil. How far u can run for 24950 litre oil for e. hydrid?
=24950X20= 499000KM!!
assueing u will use the car for 6 year , 6X365.25 = 2191.5 days
499000/2191.5=227km/day (only commercial car can have such performance in 1 day)
this mean that if u need a long run per day like this, hybrid is suitable and more economic.
if u just run 20km/day to carry children to school, it just waste money to buy a hybrid.
To support environmental protection, most useful is to use pubblic transport rather than buy a car.
Once u choose to buy a car for carrying purpose, hybrid or not hybrid will not have big differnence for short trip everyday in view of environmental protection.