Burns is actually an investments writer, but what th' heck. That may explain what I think is his somewhat misleading description. He makes it sound as though the Japanese version of the Prius is a plug-in, which of course it is not.
But with the wave of hybrid hate articles (probably sponsored by the right companies) this piece of write only helps to raise the voice against oil abuse and life quality on cities.
Yeah, I have to agree with Mario. Even though this one will most likely never be refered to by other journalists, and this article will die a sudden and uneventful death, it's nice to hear one person getting posted and actually praising the Prius and hybrid technology. I can see what you mean about the plug-in line. Confusion, I think, brought on by pour punctuation and grammar.