Bitter rivals Toyota and Honda are racing against each other to create affordable eco-friendly cars. Toyota announced this week that it plans to offer a full range of hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles, everything from ultra-compacts to luxury sedans, SUVs, and commercial trucks, though the company didn’t specify when they would hit showrooms. Enviros have praised Toyota and Honda for starting to sell the hybrid Toyota Prius and Honda Insight in the U.S. this year, and Honda now plans to sell a hybrid Civic next year. Honda also announced this week that it has developed a prototype four-seater fuel-cell car that will be tested on roads in California. Fuel cells are believed by many to be the future of green car technology, but it may take a decade or more before the technology becomes widely affordable, so Toyota and Honda are currently pushing hybrid vehicles as a good eco-friendly option. American automakers are lagging behind in this green contest.
