Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 26

C6 Austin American-Statesman BUSINESS Thursday, May 11, 2006 -A' 4 HYBRIDS: Automakers create goodwill, satisfy US. fuel standards, analyst says 3 1 1 -P. I Hybrid SUVs tend to use less gas than their non-hybrid cousins. Stephen Greco of Houston studies the gas mileage for a hybrid Toyota Highlander on display at a trade show at the Austin Convention Center on Tuesday. Brian K.

Diggs Continued from Cl vehicles, which tend to rely on a combination of an electric motor and a conventional gasoline engine, are greener. Two Capital Metro hybrid buses, for example, get twice the fuel economy as diesel buses and cut exhaust emissions, such as carbon monoxide, by 90 percent. And hybrid SUVs tend to beat their counterparts in miles per gallon. Hybrid vehicles are gaining in popularity, but still amount to a small fraction of Texas' enormous car market. Last year, out of the 5.8 million vehicles registered in Texas.9,632 were hybrids, according to R.L.

Polk and a Michigan automotive information firm. That placed the state third in sales behind California1 and Florida. The State of Texas owns about 27,000 vehicles, and only two are hybrids, according to Dave Ballinger, manager of its fleet management office. "A lot of people drive them for style and image reasons, but we have a real need," said Fred Lewis, an Austin lawyer who drives a Toyota Prius. He and his wife also own a hybrid Ford Escape, and his brother owns a hybrid Toyota Highlander, which he uses to pull his boat.

"They don't pollute barely at all. You're contributing to your community and don't give up anything in performance," he said. Hybrid SUVs may sound like a contradiction in terms, but there is a robust U.S. market for vehicles that satisfy an appetite for size and a taste to be hip. "People like to buy hybrids," said Mike Quincy, an analyst in the auto test division of Consumer Reports.

"They feel better about themselves. They feel green. They feel like Leonardo DiCaprio. On the other hand, a lot of people like SUVs whether they're actually fuel efficient. They like thinking they re safer, even if they might not be.

They like sitting up high. They like the flexible cargo space." SUV hybrids are som ething of a contradiction for manufacturers as well. While SUVs give car companies their fattest profit margins, hybrid models, which take a lot of research and development, make little or no money, Quincy said. The advantage for the car' companies is building up goodwill and relying on to satisfy U.S. CAFE standards, or Corporate Average Fuel Economy, the average miles per gallon of a manufacturer's vehicle fleet.

i "Toyota is billing themselves as a green company," Quincy said, "but they're also producing the Land Cruiser, the Sequoia, and the Tundra pickup, plenty of vehicles that are gas pigs." asherpricestatesman.com; 445-3643 CTfPWflthe sH Li LirLi AAUWLJA TELEVISION: Austin station among handful with dual affiliations Sign your child up for the "Hit a HomeRun for Reading" program! Students receive: 2 Round Rock Express baseball tickets Cool program t-shirt Other great prizes! Just for reading during the summer break! The program gets students excited about learning! And best of all, IT'S FUN! The school with the highest number of students in the program will receive $500 to purchase library books plus a visit from the Round Rock Express mascot! CW will include some shows from the WB and UPN, likely including "Smackdown," "Veronica Mars," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Smallville" and "America's Next Top Model." MyNetwork is touting new dramas in the popular telen-ovela format that will run nightly Monday through Friday. "Desire" and "Secrets" are the first to go into production. "Art of Betrayal," "A Dangerous Love" and "Watch Over Me" were just added. Continued from Cl -a three hours. The plan is for KNVA to carry CW programming weeknights from 7 to 9 p.m., followed by delayed telecast of MyNetwork shows from 9 to 11 p.m.

On Saturday evenings, KNVA will have two hours of MyNetwork programming, where the CW schedule is empty; on Sunday evenings, the station will have CW shows where MyNetwork is empty. As previously reported, the Austin statesman.com pOUNO ROCK Federal Credit Union Newspapers in Education mm dhollowaystatesman.com; 445-3608 512-302-600 SOO-2S2-4MS www.apiusfcu.Ofg BASEBALL ClUe fJ II a i i if I I-. FS 45 Trimmer 99 J) BG 55 Handheld Blower MM55STIHL Mr VAon once Thi versatili cultivator easily changes Easy to use, well-balanced homeowner trimmer. Lightweight with fast-cutting double-line AUTOCUT TapAction head. to an aerator, edger, dethatcher and more with optional attachments.

Wheel Kit! Aerator Makes cleanup work much easier. Primer bulb and throttle lock ensure fast starts. Two-stage air filter is easy to remove and replace. with purchase 7 by a leading I consumer jj magazine $44" Value! Cultivator Dethatcher Bristle Broom Hurryl Offer available through 61806, Only while supplies i CTIUU Don't Forget Your Protective Attachments last at participating dealers. in? KK-u I ins PowerSweep" sold separately.

All prices BME-SRP unless otherwise noted. Available at participating dealers. Georgetown Georgetown Propane, LLC 6504 Highway 29 512-863-8998 Austin McCoy's Lawn Equipment Center 8540 Research Blvd 512-453-7540 Austin Travis Tractor Lawn Equipment 5700 S. Congress 512-443-3373 Bastrop Auto Supply Small Engine 1101 Chestnut 512-321-2122512-303-6608 Georgetown Georgetown Outdoor Power 304 E. 3rd St 512-863-8321 Austin Diamond Jim's Outdoor Power 11500 Manchaca Rd 512-280-4388 Austin Hill Country Outdoor Power 12014 Hwy 290 512-288-4282 copyright 2006 STIHL BME06-422-62B89-5.