Some Texans Turn in Trucks for Hybrids

May 6, 2006— -- Living in the tiny Texas town of Brenham means spending a lot of time on the road. It's 80 miles to Houston and 90 to Austin.

Gina Mulanax, a horse breeder, was born and raised in Brenham. She relies on her truck for work and says there is something about driving a big truck in the Lone Star State that just feels right.

"We wouldn't be Texans if we didn't have a truck," Mulanax said.

More than 5 million trucks are registered in Texas, including one driven by the president on his ranch in Crawford.

Nationally, light-truck and SUV sales are down almost 7 percent. They're holding steady in Texas, but high gas prices are starting to cause some Texans to consider the unthinkable -- buying a smaller hybrid vehicle.

Texas drivers burn more than 30 million gallons of gasoline a day, and high prices have created a curiosity about hybrids.

A Toyota dealership in Brenham has one on display, and statewide, hybrid sales have gone from 5,000 to nearly 15,000 in the last two years.

"You see a whole bunch of people taking a look," said Boyd Allen, a Toyota salesman. "Some of the mothers are looking at them too."

But old habits die hard. George Wallingford, who is 86, bought a new SUV truck this weekend. He says it's just practical.

"The reason I bought it is because it is so easy to get in and out of," said Wallingford.

Gas prices may be high, but the Wallingfords say they don't have far to go.

"The grocery store and the doctors office, that's it," he said.

Walliingford remembers buying gasoline for 8 cents a gallon and says he won't give up his truck no matter how high the price gets.