[QUOTE=Boreas;14277]I think you just described the Honda Insight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Insight
John
Interesting article, I didn't realise the battery packs were as expensive as that. Fuel economy is one thing, but cost's don't end there. All the diagnostic equipment needed and the 'closed door' policy in which independent garages find they cannot get service information from the manufacturers makes the things cheap to run but once the warranty runs out, very expensive to maintain.
Decades ago, Ford U.K. spent millions working on 'lean burn' technology; engines designed to give up to 100mpg (Imperial Gallon) not just on the test bed but out on the road. Then the government made it mandatory for all new cars to be fitted with catalytic converters. The increased backpressure killed the design and that was that; end of story.
Can straight petrol or diesel engines be designed to get 100+ mpg out of a 5 door car with the kind of performance drivers would be happy with?