Taking the same MPG and making more power out of it does save gas in a sense, compared to slapping on a turbocharger or adding extra cylinders to get the same amount of power. I suppose you could argue that people should not be driving vehicles with that much power anyway. While I personally have no interest in a 336 horsepower vehicle, I don't believe it's a bad thing for such vehicles being on the market for people interested in that sort of performance. Another plus is that the emissions rating on the Hybrid will be much better than even a similar gas-mileage V6 vehicle.

Actually, economic payback is easier to reach on a gas-guzzler than an economical car, all things equal. I suspect this is one of the reasons the automakers are pushing hybrid SUVs and performance vehicles. Putting $2000 in hybrid equipment to see a 20% cut in fuel consumption on a gas guzzler will save more money than the same equipment realizing a 33% cut in an efficient car like a Civic. I'm sure the dealers can also get more of a profit margin from hybridizing a high-end vehicle than an economy car, as well, so that's why we're seeing all the attention in that field.

I personally would like to see more attention paid to the economical end of the spectrum, as I think it is a much more sensible choice for most people, and that's what I'd be interesetd in buying myself. However, I can understand the economic reasonings why the manufacturers are putting stock on the performance end right now, not that there's anything wrong with that-- I think both ends of the spectrum should be developed more.

One gripe about the performance hybrids though is that it would make more sense from an engineering perspective to improve acceleration by increasing electric motor horsepower and using only a slightly larger engine (to make up for extra charging). Mileage would only drop a small amount if they did that. Right now they're using off-the-shelf parts to save development costs though.