At the launch of the 2010 Toyota Prius, Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., tells us, “We’ll face two challenges when the Prius goes on sale: the economy and the 2010 Honda Insight.

“The good news for consumers is that the market has plenty of room for both the Prius and Insight in their respective segments,” Carter adds. “Based on our 2010 projections, the Prius can achieve a theoretical 7 percent share of the industry’s largest segment — midsize sedans. In the second-ranked compact class, the Insight could achieve a 5 percent market share.”

So it’ll be a nice, peaceful coexistence for these two hybrid cars that just happen to look almost exactly like each other. Don’t believe that? Neither do we.

As the U.S. economy continues its topsy-turvy performance, nobody’s market share is safe. So it actually matters which hybrid car is better — the 2010 Honda Insight, which went on sale March 24, or the 2010 Toyota Prius, which hits dealers in late May.

The Insight has already proven itself against the 2009 Prius. But now that the 2010 Toyota Prius has appeared with its bigger engine, all-new chassis and 50-mpg EPA-combined fuel economy rating, it is a much tougher hybrid cookie (bursting with high-fiber organic oats and fair-trade chocolate chips!).

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Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Toyota Camry Hybrid offers the same roomy interior and sterling reputation as the rest of the Camry line, but in a greener, more eco-friendly package. With fuel economy figures in the mid 30s, the Camry Hybrid is certainly easy on the gas, and can actually operate solely on electric power in stop and go traffic and low-speed around-town jaunts. Bigger than Toyotas other hybrid car, the Prius, the Camry Hybrid not only offers a wider passenger cabin, but also more power and the security of a trunk. With 10 years experience building hybrid cars, one might ume Toyota would have a lock on the market. But stiff competition is always present, and the Camry Hybrid must now do battle with some equally impressive nameplates such as the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. For more new car reviews, interviews and automotive news visit http://www.kbb.com today.

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As global warming concerns and emission standards threaten vehicle production in the United States, General Motors is exhaustively researching alternative-fuel technologies, including Hydrogen Fuel Cells. A fuel cell creates electricity to power an electric motor via an electrochemical reaction, utilizing Hydrogen (created from water through electrolysis). GM has chosen to showcase its Hydrogen Fuel Cell system in its crossover SUV, the Chevrolet Equinox — bucking the anti-SUV trend by creating a vehicle that can carry the entire family and its cargo all while emitting nothing but water from the tailpipe. Currently Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicles are only available through the Project Driveway Program — a user trial designed to collect as much information as possible from drivers and onboard data collectors. GM hopes to use this data to one day incorporate Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology into other vehicles. Check out the video below to learn all about the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicle with kbb’s Video Production Editor Beth Lear-VanderYacht.

For more new car reviews, interviews and automotive news visit kbb.com today.

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