There are many ways to move a
There are many ways to move a plug-in hybrid, whether it's through a pure parallel system where the gasoline engine and electric motor spin the wheels or in a series configuration where only the electric motor spins the wheels, relegating the gasoline engine to a generator. Mutsibishi is about to come out with the best of both world where its new Outlander PHEV will do both, S-PHEV and P-PHEV. None the less, they are plug-in hybrids and fall under the category of hybrids.
GM discredits itself by calling its great Volt an electric car. It has two source of energy, a battery pack and a gasoline engine with a gas tank, therefore it is a hybrid. In fact, it is a Series and Parallel PHEV. We can call beige off-white, it still doesn't change the fundamental and principle of the drive system. It only confuses potential clients.
I saw the same article from a reporter who called the Prius PHEV an all-electric car. Sigh!
In the meantime, I still see people go up to a full-electric car, like the Leaf or Focus Electric and ask where the gasoline engine is. Marketing has to reflect reality and appeal to people, not distort it. It's counter-productive calling an electric car with an extended range. It's technically an oxymoron :)