Which hybrid was your first? What began with the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius quickly spilled over into the SUV world, led by the Ford Escape Hybrid in 2005. From there, hybrid power crept into every corner of the industry and into all manner of family sedans, wagons, SUVs, pickups, and eventually performance cars. With it, well‑known models got new life, lesser-known models rose to fame, and some of our most powerful V8s survived tightening eco targets with a little help from some electric motors. In the affordable SUV space, hybrids quickly started to spell the end for the long‑lived V6s that once defined mainstream, cost‑effective propulsion.
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