America, lets be honest with ourselves for a moment. When it comes to our material possessions, we tend to be a picky bunch. How else can you explain the variety of choices we have when we buy just about, well, anything. This is especially true about cars.

And oh how our tastes do change. Just a few years ago, people were buying big gaudy SUV’s and were more concerned with cup holders than fuel economy. But once again, our priorities have changed, and a new study suggests quality and fuel economy are now top concerns among new car buyers.

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United Parcel Service this week is rolling out 200 new hybrid gas-electric delivery trucks in eight U.S. cities. Over the course of a year, the 200 new hybrid trucks are expected to reduce fuel consumption by roughly 176,000 gallons and cutting CO2 gases by nearly 1,800 metric tons.

The move by UPS is part of a growing trend, identified in a new report from Pike Research about the global market for hybrid medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses. Pike forecasts an increase from 9,000 vehicles sold globally in 2010 to more than 100,000 vehicles in 2015.

In the U.S., Pike expects annual sales of electric-drive trucks to grow from 3,700 today to more than 30,000 in 2015. That would represent about 10 percent of the market. Dave Hurst, the author of the Pike study, told us that two-thirds of those sales will be conventional hybrids, and most of the rest will be pure electric trucks. “Plug-in hybrids are less attractive because the upfront costs are high, and there’s less saving on fuel,” Hurst said. “Fleet buyers don’t see the payback.” Hurst said that fuel costs are dramatically lower for pure electric trucks.

We spoke with Hurst to get a better understanding of the trend towards hybridizing trucks and buses.

HybridCars.com: What kind of fuel economy or emissions improvement do hybrid trucks and buses offer?

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When they unveiled their plans to build a 40 mpg “Eco” version of their upcoming Chevy Cruze at the New York Auto Show last April, GM claimed that the Cruze Eco would have the fuel economy of a hybrid at a much lower price. Today GM put an actual number on what a much lower price means: a starting price of $18,995 for the base Cruze Eco when it goes on sale later this year.

Whether that is really a much lower price than the hybrid competition is a whole ‘nother thing entirely.

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