Hybrids set for summer sales surge?

Gas is already above $3.00 per gallon in parts of California

"The West Coast will certainly be the wild, wild West this year," said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service. Extensive maintenance work at West Coast refineries has curtailed supplies and exacerbated the typical "preseason rally" spurred by jitters about tight supplies.

"In the rest of the country, it's just petro-noia. They're worried that they won't have enough gasoline," Kloza said. "But on the West Coast the concern might be warranted." (DetroitNews)

As California is already the home to the majority of hybrid sales, one could assume that there could be a dramatic surge in the sales of hybrid cars as we head into the summer if gas prices continue their upward trend. Will Toyota again defy the hybrid critics?