Butler County auto dealerships offer fuel-thrifty drivers many options in hybrid vehicles, catering not only to the compact car market, but also truck and SUV lovers.

But dealers cautioned that hybrid models of Hondas and Toyotas will be in short supply following the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan, where both brands are manufactured.

At Honda North in Connoquenessing Township, the dealership carries three 2011 hybrid models: the Insight, Civic Hybrid and CR-Z.

Honda's hybrids, a 1.3-liter gas engine, tuned differently in each model, are supported by an electric motor during acceleration or strenuous conditions where more power is needed.

“The Honda works on the gasoline engine. It uses the integrated assist electric motor (IMA) to supply extra torque and horsepower.” said Bernie Schulik, sales manager at Honda North.

“Maintenance is no different. You change the oil just as you would in any other car. The maintenance cost is no more than any other car, either.”

Schulik said Honda's hybrids, starting with the first mass-produced hybrid, the Insight, in the 1980s, become more valuable to their owners as gas prices increase.

Unfortunately, he said, hybrid supply may be limited due to the recent earthquakes in Japan, where all three of Honda's hybrid vehicles are made.

“Ninety percent of the people who come in here already know what they want when it comes to a hybrid product,” Schulik said.

“The hybrids carry a higher price tag because there is more technology there.”

He said the new HF Civic, which has high fuel efficiency and is not a hybrid, is due out this summer and will offer comparable mileage without the electric motor.

Also, Honda will revamp all versions of the car next year to remain competitive with producers such as Hyundai and Toyota.

“The whole Civic line is being completely redesigned for 2012,” Schulik said.

Toyota's hybrid models in Butler County include the Prius, Camry and Highlander SUV.

Much like Honda hybrids, Toyotas operate with an integrated electric assist to provide more horsepower and torque when needed.

“You can literally drive the Prius, or any Toyota hybrid, without the motor kicking on, at walking speed like a golf cart,” said Rich Grossman, general manager of Diehl Toyota.

“What a lot of people don't realize about the Toyota hybrid is that when you touch the brakes, it regenerates the battery. As the car is coasting, it picks up on the friction between the wheel and the road and will recharge the battery, as well.”

That efficiency does not have to come in a compact package, either.

“The Toyota Highlander is a powerful vehicle, about 260 horsepower,” Grossman said.

“But I took a Highlander hybrid from here to Washington, D.C., and used a quarter tank of gas.”

Grossman said the Prius' popularity has drawn the attention of colleges like Slippery Rock University, which displays one during Earth Week and similar environmentally centered events.

“You can live on solar energy or wind, but you can drive on it, as well,” Grossman said.

“Some of the fifth-generation (2012) Prius' even will have a solar panel on the roof to recharge the battery.”

However, for some drivers, a hybrid vehicle or a particular type of hybrid may not be the best option.

Geno Sabruno, sales manager at Butler County Ford, said the dealership typically does not keep hybrid vehicles in stock due to low demand.

“For the majority of drivers in Butler County, (a hybrid) probably is not the most advantageous proposition,” Sabruno said.

As an example, he cited the Escape Hybrid, which can offer drives about 7 extra miles per gallon under the right conditions.

The vehicle runs on electric power up to 30 mph, then the gas engine kicks in. That scenario is ideal for urban stop-and-go driving, but not so much for Butler County's rural roads, where drivers often are in excess of 30 mph, he said.

Sabruno added that, ultimately, a car buyer must be conscious of how they will use a hybrid vehicle for it to be effective.

Ford's hybrids available in Butler County include the Fusion and the light-SUV Escape.

Its Focus electric car is due out later this year.