Hybrid vehicles as a category is picking up steam with the American public. As as prices hover around $2.80, there is little to no relief in sight for that go-juice that powers almost all our cars and trucks. With a hybrid Chevy Camaro being rumored for sometime in the future (General Motors (NYSE:GM) really needs to do this), how about hybrid versions of several popular full-size SUVs for the Detroit automaker? These are in addition to the E85 Ethanol-powered cars and trucks already on the market form GM.

These are not rumors, but are coming this fall to a GM dealer near you. The hybrid versions of the GMC Yukon and the Chevy Tahoe should be landing on the doorsteps of dealers here in a few months, with a combination V8 gas engine and an electric motor powered by batteries that are recharged using "regenerative braking" techniques widely used in hybrid cars and trucks already.

GM claims a 25% increase in fuel economy, with a slightly higher figure in city driving since quite a bit of driving will happen under 32 mph. When driving under that figure, the gas engine won't even be on (no gas burning). Although a 25% increase in fuel economy for a large SUV just barely brings it up to where most normal passenger cars (non-hybrid) already are, what is the point, you may say? Well, to those that must have an SUV and who are in the market, these hybrid versions may may be good options. But if prices are 30% higher than all-gas counterparts, GM may see sales sit on the sideline instead of replacing normal gas-guzzler SUV sales.

When Paris talks, people listen. Or at least branding executives do. And let's be clear, Paris doesn't know much, but she sure knows Hummers.

I'm talking about the other kind of Hummer here, boys. The big, garish gas-guzzling ones on wheels. But Paris is eco-savvy. Paris wants a hybrid. A hybrid Hummer. And a cute one, too. Maybe in green.

Of course, as our sister blog AutoBlog Green points out, that kind of car doesn't exist. Yet.

What do you think, General Motors (NYSE: GM)? Gonna make it happen? Think of the publicity. Or heck, think of the commercial! It would, pardon the pun, blow that Carl's Junior commercial right out of the water. Tongues would wag!

After all, now that more Americans prefer foreign made cars, the Big Three had better bring out the big guns and prove they're really back on track. Maybe GM can design and roll one out just in time for $100 oil, too.

Although on second thought, maybe a Paris Hilton Hummer wouldn't be such a branding success story. Maybe it would be right up there with Cerberus hiring former Home Depot (NYSE: HD) Bob Nardelli to fix what ails Chrysler.

What do you think?

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) CEO Alan Mulally sees the future -- and it's full of hybrid vehicles. Well, at least that is what he stated this week while attending an auto repair competition. Mulally stated that "the hybrids we're looking at now are petrol and electricity. But over time, I can also see hybrids with diesel and electricity, and also hydrogen and electricity and petrol." Interesting words from Ford, even though it is one of the larger domestic proponents of hybrid automotive technology.

In fact, the head of General Motors Corp.'s (NYSE: GM) Cadillac division said Tuesday that the promotion of more hybrid technology in the powertrains of more vehicles makes sense as gas prices hover near $3 a gallon. Although that is quite obvious, the question that was probably on the minds of many as these two auto executives spoke about hybrids was: when will the market see new products? John Howell, the Cadillac exec, stated that "pretty much every program I am looking at going forward has got a hybrid as part of it." The 2009 Cadillac Escalade will most likely be the division's first hybrid vehicle.

Are GM and Ford behind the times? I would not go that far, but all the recent talk that automotive propulsion technology is heading towards many different hybrid options seems to have escaped the automakers even as competitors like Toyota and Honda have scurried ahead. Ford's Escape was the first hybrid SUV (with licensing help from Toyota). However, in terms of cars, the overseas competitors have a leg up, at least for now. Ford's recent withdrawal on its commitment to hybrid -- backing off a prior decision to produce 250,000 hybrid vehicles by 2010 -- shows that the automaker may not be ready to attack the market. Bad news for Ford, but good news for the competitors.