In the current age of anti-SUV vehicle-buying sentiment from the U.S. public, American automakers have had a tumultuous time trying to shift directions on a dime. Consumer sentiment can change with the wind, and triggers like a 50% increase in gas prices can come out of nowhere to completely obliterate profit margins of automakers that aren't in tune with those changes.

Toyota Motor Co. (NYSE: TM) is one automaker that seems to have seen this day coming years ago as it had early editions of hybrid vehicles on showroom floors and in volume long before other mass-market competitors. Sure, Honda and General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) were there with experiments too, but the Prius hybrid from Toyota stole the show.

Even now, with gas prices marching ever upward, both GM and Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) have been slow moving with hybrid vehicle introductions. In 2006, Ford's Escape small SUV was a great seller and the company is poised for more. What is in GM's back pocket?

Not much. At least not publicly. Projects like the GM Volt and E85 cars and trucks are there, but what about gas/electric hybrids? Nada. And the maddening part is, GM has the stuff to make it happen. What if GM came out with an iconic American nameplate (as in, a sports car brand) that had muscle and great gas mileage? Like matching a new hybrid system with GM's V8 Camaro (a Chevy product)? That could happen...but it's not. Why not?

GM could take the U.S. market by storm by having a sports car or slick entry into the fast-growing hybrid market soon (like, now). The automaker made a slight profit in its last quarter. Taking the lead in hybrid technology could be a major save for the company, although it still faces an uphill battle; it's own inertia toward innovation, for example. Without it, how does it hope to fend off nimble, ferocious Toyota?

Though it's not easy for consumers to be green, MSN Money's Abby Schutlz points out that it's possible to be environmentally sensitive and fiscally prudent.

Since buying organic food is expensive -- organic milk is about double the price of the conventional variety and produce can be 200% higher -- Schultz points out that people need to make an organic budget for their environmentally friendly purchases. This can be as simple as buying organic products when they are on sale to the price disparity isn't as great or purchasing produce such as cherries, grapes and peaches that retain less pesticide residue then their conventional counterparts.

I was particularly interested in the piece because I would like to be more environmentally conscious but, like many Americans, I'm not sure about how much I am willing to sacrifice economically to do that.

While hybrid cars are still quite expensive and will likely stay that way for awhile, Schultz advises readers that simply driving less is great for the environment too. And with our country in the midst of an obesity epidemic, walking or biking makes sense for a lot of reasons.

Similarly, simply cutting back on energy use probably does more good for the environment than expensive all-natural products.

So while being green-friendly might seem more expensive, many aspects of conservation will actually save money: Buying products in bulk with less packaging is cheaper, and so is using the library instead of the bookstore.

Does anyone have any tips for being environmentally conscious on a budget? I've talked to some friends, and one of the main reasons people don't make more of an effort to go green is the cost.

Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) has been advertising its "green" environmental initiatives for quite a while now. Light bulbs, organic foods and potting soils, electronics packaging materials and recycled products are all available at Wal-Mart these days, and although I believe it could do more to promote its green stance, the retailer's effort so far is admirable.

Wal-Mart will soon be taking the green approach to its transport fleet by using more natural gas-powered vehicles. The Peterbuilt 386 hybrid truck reclaims wasted energy from the engine and uses it for power later on. Just as in hybrid passenger cars, the truck's "regenerative braking" reclaims lost power for battery charging in the vehicle's electrical system.

Even an efficiency gain of a few percentage points is enormous considering the number of Wal-Mart trucks all over the landscape daily. Gains of five to seven percent can be made in efficiency with these new Peterbuilt transport vehicles, which is sizable all things considered. The system, not expected to be in full use until 2010, is a great move by a big retailer. What it needs to do is market this to its customers, even though it is not directly product related. Will it do this? It's not clear. But some marketing along these lines might be a good break from "everyday low prices."

Toyota has long been interested in the hybrid car market. Their first introduction to the field came 10 years ago when they launched its first hybrid car, the Prius. So far Toyota's market for hybrid cars has not been very material to their business, but the company expects that the trend is coming it way and within a couple years we could see massive growth in consumers thirst for hybrid cars. Last year the company "only" sold 300,000 hybrids, but by its estimates expects that it will be selling a million plus hybrids each year starting in 2010.

Toyota could definitely be on the right track here. Societal concern of global warming the past couple of years has definitely been on the rise, and this is inevitably going to keep interest in hybrids increasing. Add on top of the current social movement, we also are dealing with record high gasoline prices. Sure, the current high prices of gas are bound to recede, but even if prices do fall back down towards $2 a gallon, that is still not exactly "cheap" gas (although we would all be jumping for joy to pay $2 for a gallon of gas these days).

Toyota rolled out the newest hybrid LS today in Japan and will be starting to offer the car in Europe, North America and Asia, including China, beginning next month.

So all you environmentally friendly consumers with an extra $124K laying around, get ready... your new luxury car is on the way!

This post is written as part of AOL Money & Finance's Best & Worst 2006. If this post convinces you that Ford can make a comeback, cast your vote.

Recently I wrote a blog post about some of the nice things Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is doing. It was just an overview and the article was cursory at best. A member of our excellent editing staff suggested that I might have readers who want a bit more explanation of just what has happened with Ford's stock market value over the last year. I think that for an even better perspective, I'll need to take you back ... way, way back....

Ford Motor Company's stock value entered this decade at $29.30 (the actual per share value was $53.51 but there's a split adjustment factored in). By the end of 2000 Ford stock had slipped to $23.44. One year later the shares had deflated to $15.95 and by the end of 2002 investors were viewing in amazement a stock value of just $9.58. In 2003 Ford took an upswing and shares ended that year at $16.18. But 2004 ended at $14.80, 2005 nearly halved that value to $7.90, and 2006 is shaping up to finish with Ford Motor Company shares close to today's ending price of $8.13. Two factors that must be considered when viewing this historical trend are: In 2000 Ford's daily share trading volume was in the range of 3,300,000, whereas yesterday's trading volume for Ford was over ten times that much at 30,530,400 shares. How do total share availability and volume traded affect the overall price? I'll honestly tell you, that information is just plain "over my head."