As electric-vehicle shoppers hesitate, hybrid sales surge

Automakers have been working for years to transcend the image of hybrid cars as stodgy fuel sippers, remaking them with sportier designs and extra pep. Now, the once-niche hybrid is the hottest car on the lot.

Hybrids, which combine a gas engine with a battery-propelled motor to boost fuel efficiency, have been a small but steady slice of the U.S. car market since the Toyota Prius ushered in the technology more than two decades ago. In recent years, they have taken a back seat to fully electric vehicles, as automakers introduced many EVs to challenge Tesla.