But in the next 5 years I have full confidence that will change and change rapidly.
Unless consumer demand changes, I doubt it. People [here] are not trending towards fuel efficiency now (not by a long shot), and as we've already seen most advancements get eaten up in this department by heavier weight and more powerful engines.
I look at the only rapid changes that *could* happen will be EVs, but unless substantial amounts of consumers actually buy them, they'll remain on the fringe. And really I do not see any quantum leaps there either, just a cost scaling of the technology to make them cheaper but by the time this is really, truly, a viable option for more people the used ones (with their subsequent tanked value) will be out there too. I mean there is already little incentive to by a new one since used ones are plentiful in comparison and once the tax incentives start to go away then the new purchase incentives will vanish. The local Chevrolet dealer has already been discounting the few Volts they got, which were more than they actually wanted but GM forced them to take them or they could not get all the Silverados and Tahoes they want, which sell as fast as the paint dries. And GM has actually been pissed about them trying to discount the Bolt (and to a lesser extent the Volt) because they NEED these cars sold to offset the CAFE stuff.
When you have to push things on consumers to try and sell them when the consumers otherwise would not/do not want to buy them, that means those products are a dud. When it takes piles of tax incentives and discounts and free car washes and all the other stuff despite there being a seemingly obvious advantage to something then those products are a dud. Keep in mind this is not necessarily a reflection of my own mindset. Just consumerism in general at large. I'd take a Bolt over a Silverado, even if they do cost the same.
OK, maybe not.
I just recall the time I was at the local auto show when the Prius first came out. They only had one there, and it was not at dealers yet. But being part of the dealer staff, we get to go a day early where only dealer associates and press can get in, so we had the whole place to ourselves... only a few hundred people in the whole place. I talked to rep from Toyota for over an hour about the Prius, as I was genuinely interested in the car, the technology, etc. Despite its homely dorky looks (something Toyota has somehow worsened and I did not even think that was possible) it was a neat little package, essentially a hybrid version of the Echo but with some neat features. She (the Toyota rep) said they (Toyota) would have a hybrid version of every car they make within 10 years, and withing 20 years, EVERY car they make would be a hybrid... it was the way of the future, and it would be "normal" and that you wouldn't even see "hybrid" badges on things, the same way we do not see "Overdrive" or "Fuel Injection" badges on things anymore. Well, that was 2000. Prius came out later that year as a 2001. In 2011, Toyota had only added TWO hybrids to their lineup, the Camry and the Highlander. In the same time period they made the Tundra much bigger, and added an even bigger V8 engine option. Same for the Sequoia. Sienna got substantially bigger, and its engine grew another half liter. Camry got bigger, and its standard engine grew in size.
2021 is right around the corner. They have recently added a hybrid version of the Avalon and the RAV4, as well as a couple more new Prius models, each more hideous than the last. Aside from the Priuses, a non-hybrid version of the others is still available, and still outsells the hybrid versions by wide margins. And they are selling every V8 Tundra they can build, in addition to the relatively giant Tacoma that has long since exited the compact truck category. Oh, and if you live in California you can buy the Prius' eccentric cousin, the Mirai (which is a fuel cell powerplant). So despite Toyota's best intentions, consumerism won out. The dream of selling hybrids exclusively was a dream that they never could realize because Americans just won't buy them in numbers that would allow the company to remain profitable.
And Ford just recently gave up on the C-max, which is a FAR nicer car to drive than the Prius. Of course, Ford giving it a name that reminds consumers of feminine hygiene products probably didn't help. Nor did plastering silly leaves all over the instrument cluster display or the barf inducing "thanks for driving a hybrid" text that splashes across it when you turn the car off.