Automakers Step Back As Lexus No Longer Touts Hybrids As Gas Savers

Automakers are starting to turn away from the notion of the performance hybrid, the term coined to market gas-electric vehicles based on extra pep instead of fuel thriftiness.

Instead of just emphasizing performance, Toyota's luxury Lexus division plans to hawk its high-end hybrid vehicles as being better for the environment because they pollute less than rival brands.