Hasta La Gadget!

When the 2011 Lincoln MKZ goes on sale this fall, the base price will be $35,180, regardless of whether you opt for the gasoline engine or the hybrid version of the midsize Lincoln sedan. With price parity, the take rate for MKZ hybrids should go up, and with quantity, some of the costs of the hybrid components should come down. It may force other automakers to rethink the $2,000-$3,000 premiums that hybrids typically command. But that probably won’t extend to entry-level hybrids in the $20,000 range.