Green for go, go, go

The first petrol-electric hybrid cars have really drawnonly greenies, people who want to be seen driving an environmentally friendly car andfuel misers.

The Toyota Prius has led the way, with Honda also chipping in with its Civic hybrid.

But the floodgates are about to open.

Carmakers are now developing spicy hybrid models for performance fanswho want a thrilling drive as well as good fuel economy.

The first such sports hybrid vehicle is the Lexus GS450H.

It runs a 3.5-litre V6 hooked up to an electric motor, which Lexus saysgives it the performance of a 4.5-litre V8 but is aseconomical as a 2-litre four-cylinder engine.

Lexus says the GS450H is abl e to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 5.5 secondsand refers to the car as "good clean fun".

The hot Lexus Hybrid will go on sale in Australia in April andwill be joined by a petrol-electric version of the Lexus RX all-wheel-drive, the RX400H, towards the end of the year.

Further into the future, Lexus will have a hybrid version of its LS flagship and Toyota - its parent company - believes it can sell more than a million hybrids each year with a petrol-electric version of each new model.

The hybrid push will pick up pace over coming years andLexus is not the only brand with green hybrid power on show in Melbourne.

Honda is revealing the second-generation Civic hybrid sedan.

The Civic IMA hybrid is based on the new Civic sedan that is also making itsAustralian debut at the show. It runs a 1.3-litre petrol engine linked up to an electric motor.

The Civic IMA can run purely on electric power, up to 40km/h in someconditions, before the petrol engine is fired up to provide extra assistance.

Honda says the electric motor now has 46 per cent more power than theprevious model, while the power output of the petrol engine has been boostedto 85kW.

The carmaker also says the IMA is remarkably aerodynamic and uses just 4.5 litres offuel for every 100km travelled.

Toyota will show its current Prius hybrid model, the current choice ofHollywood celebrities who want to go green, as one of the hero cars on its stand inMelbourne.

The Prius, which is a hybrid-only model rather than a hybrid version of anexisting model, is selling strongly around the world and there is a waitinglist for the cars in Australia.