Toyota will offer a plug-in hybrid by 2010

The move puts Toyota in direct competition with General Motors, which plans to sell its own plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt, sometime around 2010.
The New York Times

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[afterhours]

I'd rather have more choices than fewer

I'd be much more willing to buy a hybrid if it was a plugin. The
actual technology to convert a Prius doesn't come anywhere
close to $21k -- so someone is getting relieved of their cash in
a dubious fashion. Hell, give me a car that recharges in 8 hrs,
but still has a backup diesel engine and I'd be in heaven. Get
my juice from Big Petroleum or Big Electricity -- at least I'll
never get 'stuck' anywhere with only one plan.

The automotive maker's reluctance to bring more options to the
table sounds more like feeble management than technology.
You can have any color you want, as long as it's black. And
you'll drive what we tell you to drive.

Give us options -- maybe the mainstream American is more
green and flexible that Detroit/Koromo may realize (drivers of
Hummers not withstanding).

[open-mind]

Volt Is Not a "Hybrid"

At least not by GM's definition.

According to GM, the wheels of a "hybrid" vehicle are powered by both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE) that share a common transmission.

The wheels of a Volt are ONLY powered by an electric motor all the time. If needed, more electricity can be generated on-board using it's ICE. Or it can get more electricity from a wall-plug.

That is why GM calls it an "EREV" (Extended Range Electric Vehicle) to distinguish it from their more conventional "hybrids", as well as competing hybrids like the Prius.