By Peter Hoy, September 18, 2007

Interested in an energy-efficient auto? You’re in luck. That’s because nearly every major car company has a hybrid line, or has plans to introduce one soon.

But enter the showroom, and instead of seeing green, you may be seeing red. Many of the market’s hybrids–cars which combine gasoline engines with battery-powered electric motors–forsake fuel-efficiency in the name of power and performance.

The average gas mileage of hybrid models available in the U.S. is 33 miles per gallon (combined city and highway). But Chevy’s newest Silverado hybrid truck gets only 16 mpg. The newest Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sedan clocks in at 21 mpg, the 2007 Saturn Vue hybrid at 26 mpg.

This contradiction is not lost on consumers. The most recent 2006 J.D. Power and Associates Alternative Powertrain Study found that only 50% of new-vehicle shoppers are currently considering a hybrid–down from 57% the year before.

Read the whole story on Forbes.com.