It doesn’t need a key, and Jim and Joan MacKenzie’s new low-polluting, fuel-thrifty hybrid car barely makes a sound as it zips around town.

"It looks like a little pregnant roller skate going down the road," said Jim.

After logging only 300 miles, the retired Wimer couple are still getting the hang of their slightly futuristic, streamlined Toyota Prius, which doesn’t need to be started and is quietly ready to go once they’ve put it in gear.

"When sitting at a stop sign, it’s really strange that there is no noise," said Joan.

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What started as a novelty just four years ago turned into a stampede of interest after the recent rise in gas prices.

Hybrids are leaving the showroom floor faster than they can be brought in, and new models, including sport utility vehicles, will be coming out next year.

On the market already is a new generation of roomier and faster hybrids that get up to 60 miles per gallon and seamlessly switch from an electric motor around town to a gas motor on the highway.

Forty Priuses have been sold in Medford since January. If local interest holds, it could signal a change in car-buying habits that might potentially curtail Jackson County’s air pollution problems in the future.

Without the hybrid and other pollution-control innovations, smog will only increase in the Rogue Valley, said John Becker of the Department of Environmental Quality. He said the valley occasionally has exceeded ozone levels in the past and could have more smoggy days in the future as the population increases and more people drive cars.

"With the valley’s growth and a run of stagnant days, we could be in a world of hurt," he said.

Becker said the recent spike in gas prices — which topped out in May at an average of $2.37 a gallon statewide — might have affected car-buying habits. But economists have predicted major societal changes will occur only when prices hit $3 a gallon for at least three months.

Hybrids, which actually get better gas mileage in town than on the highway, reduce pollution, save gas and are the start of an upcoming wave of alternative vehicles that could help stamp out smog.

Just on the horizon, electric automobiles powered by fuel cells could eventually offer greater power than an internal combustion engine, with only pure water as their byproduct. Major automobile manufacturers are developing prototypes of fuel-cell vehicles, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to build up to 200 hydrogen fueling stations in his state by the year 2010.

Low-sulfur fuel for diesel motors will be mandatory by 2006, paving the way for a new generation of low-polluting semi-trucks.

Despite local interest in alternative vehicles, Jacksonville resident Norton Smith, who was the first to buy a hybrid in Jackson County, doesn’t foresee a major change in buying habits as long as a federal loophole continues to allow trucks and SUVs to have poorer gas mileage and put out more pollution than most passenger cars.

"I’m basically pretty pessimistic about our civilization," he said. "I don’t see things changing until the situation gets uncomfortable enough for things to happen."

So far, alternative vehicles represent a fraction of the total number of vehicles on Oregon’s roads.

Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services reports 2,769 hybrids registered as of March, compared to 3.1 million passenger vehicles.

But just this year, hybrids sold at local dealerships represent a sizable number of new vehicles leaving the lot, despite the roughly $3,500 to $6,000 additional cost over a comparably equipped standard car.

Since the beginning of the year, 40 hybrid Priuses were sold at Lithia Toyota in Medford, compared to 84 Corollas and 137 Camrys, according to General Sales Manager Mark Zinn.

He could have sold twice the number of Priuses if he’d had them in stock, and he has a waiting list of 30 customers who want the car.

"The whole country is screaming for these Priuses," Zinn said.

The MacKenzies bought their hybrid primarily because of its good gas mileage and low emissions.

"It’s about the cleanest one out there, and I really appreciate that after living in the (San Francisco) Bay Area," said Jim MacKenzie.

Toyota plans to release a hybrid version of its Highlander SUV sometime next year that promises to have tremendous torque compared to the stock model.

"We’ve already collected four deposits on that vehicle," said Zinn. "People don’t seem to care how much they cost. All we know is they’re going to be expensive."

Toyota also plans to release a hybrid version of its most popular model, the Camry sedan, by 2006.

Zinn predicts more hybrid models will be coming out each year. "It wouldn’t surprise me to see the entire industry become hybrid in the next 10 years," he said.

At Lithia Honda, 20 Civic hybrids have been sold this year, compared to 103 standard versions. Honda also produces the Insight hybrid, but the local dealership doesn’t carry that line.

Karl Blust, general sales manager at Lithia Honda, said, "We’ve sold every hybrid we’ve got."

When gas prices shot up, so did interest in hybrids, said Blust.

Next year, Honda plans to release a hybrid version of the Accord sedan that will be faster than the six-cylinder model. The new car’s engine will use only three cylinders on the highway to save gas.

Honda also plans to release a hybrid truck and hybrid SUV vehicle next year, said Blust.

Scott Davis, general sales manager for Butler Ford, said customers are already asking about the hybrid Ford Escape SUV, which should be released next year.

"We’ve already gotten a few deposits on them," he said.

He anticipates supplies will be limited locally, but he is encouraged by the interest in alternative vehicles.

"Living in a green state, it’s kind of encouraging that people have a conscience about this," said Davis.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com