Can These Hybrid Cars Save Detroit?

The Prius Effect

The hybrid cars are still a very small segment of the market for Ford, GM and Chrysler.

But having just one hit hybrid can help a carmaker's whole line of vehicles.

"Toyota has benefited greatly from the halo effect of being known as a producer of environmentally-friendly cars," Lemos-Stein said.

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The rest of Toyota's lineup is not necessarily any better than Ford's, for example. But because of the Prius, Lemos-Stein said, many consumers think they are.

GM is hoping for that type of success with the Chevy VOLT.

The company is rushing the car through design and testing, hoping to get it to market in two years. The car is expected to travel up to 40 miles a day just on its electric battery and then use a gasoline-powered engine for further journeys.

But even if the VOLT becomes a top seller, Lemos-Stein said it takes years to recoup the development costs and turn a profit on the car.

"We would hold our breath on the VOLT transforming the financial risks of GM any time soon," he said.

AutoTrends Consulting analyst Joe Phillippi said that cost is "the first giant hurdle" the automakers need to overcome.

"You pay a premium for being green," Phillippi said.

An SUV hybrid might burn less fuel than a traditional SUV, but it still isn't going to be as efficient as a small compact.

But not everybody wants such small a car.

"If you have four or five kids," Phillippi said, "a Chevy volt or Toyota Prius isn't going to do it for you."

ABC News' Alice Gomstyn and Charles Herman contributed to this report.