Detroit Auto Show Paints Itself Electric, Green

Fuel efficiency seemed to be the keynote on almost all announcements made at the Detroit Auto Show this year. Major car manufacturers seem to be doing a pretty good job on planning for a better future, from plug-in hybrids all the way to pure electrics. We’ve seen quite a transformation in the car industry over the last few years, and now, as we dive deep into uncertain times, we’ll start to see the companies with the most efficient practices, and best quality products come out on top, while some might just fall in process. Who will it be? Time will only tell….but until then, here are all the important product launches, concept cars, and eco-friendly announcements that came out of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
Fisker Automotive – As expected from prior teaser shots, Fisker Automotive unveiled it’s 2-door, hard-top convertible Karma Sunset. Like it’s four-door brother, the Karma S runs off the same plug-in hybrid Q-drive powertrain and boasts 100mpg, with 50 miles of pure electric power. As for the four door model, Henry Fisker announced that already 1300 Karmas have been pre-ordered. Depending on first mover impressions, the four-door just might have to be my next toy. We’ll see, but with Fisker’s reputation behind him, I’m pretty confident he’ll deliver on this one. He’s already started talking about a $20,000 plug-in

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Toyota – At the forefront of big announcements this week, was of course Toyota and it’s 3rd generation Prius. The 2010 hybrid’s gone through a few small body styling modifications as well as a bumped up 50 mpg rating (previously 46). The show also brought a few exciting future promises from the japanese giant. Toyota unveiled a full electric compact called the FT-EV, promised to be to market by 2012, and even a hydrogren fuel cell powered car by 2015. Am I the only one who feels like Toyota could be doing the electric car thing a little faster, or are they just trying to draw out Prius sales before hyrbids become obsolete?

2010 Prius

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Lexus – The upper-tier Toyota brand had an eco-announcement of their own, unveiling the 2010 HS 250h, or as they describe, “the world’s first dedicated luxury hybrid.”
Daimler AG – Mercedes had a few notable announcements at the show, starting with the unveiling of their previously mentioned BlueZero concepts. The E-Cell boasts a 120-mile range, while the F-Cell provides 240 miles. The third, called the B-cell, is powered by fuel cells and brings in a 81 mpg equivalence. They expect the production versions to be available by 2010, although I kind of doubt that’s going to happen. Another announcement was the company’s new E-Class, which they claim consumes up to (emphasis on up to) 23 percent less fuel than previous models. We might see electric Smarts faster than we see the BlueZeros as Daimler has said they’ll be testing 1000 Smart EVs in 2010-2011.

bluezero smartev

Tesla – In what feels like an opposite of logical move, Tesla announced an even more expensive version of their electric two-seater. The Roadster sport will shave .2 seconds of the already lightning fast 3.9 sec 0-60 and will cost a wopping 20 g’s more. On quite a much more positive note, the company announced they’ll be supplying Daimler AG 1000 lithium-ion battery packs for the production of Smart EVs. Apparently if all goes well and the Smart EV is a success, more battery orders will come.

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Honda – The Insight got a ton of attention after it’s test drive announcements were made. They tested one with a speedy driver and one with a fuel efficient minded driver. The test brought back impressive results of 52, and 63 mpg. Even more impressive is the projective msrp, hoping for a ticket price of $20,000, with potential of as low as $18,500.

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Volkswagen – VW jumped straight into the eco game, unveiling the Concept BlueSport. This sporty little coupe boasts a 6.2 sec 0-60 and a top speed of 140, all at 35 mpg. The two-seater also has an “eco” mode delivering up to 62 mpg.

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GM – Of the many headlines out of GM this last week, the one I found most interesting was when Bob Lutz mentioned he owns and drives a Vectrix electric motorcycle. That’s a far cry from the guy I remember denouncing global warming as a theory or even a possibility. Along the same electric subject line, GM made a partnership announcement with LG Chem to provide lithium-ion cells for the Chevy Volt. They’ll also be building the largest advanced battery testing facility in the world in their home state of Michigan. Cadillac unveiled a Volt-ish car of their own, called the Converj. The sporty extended range EV is based off the same Voltec drivetrain as the Chevy Volt, but don’t expect it any earlier than 2012.
Chrysler LLC – Facing significant challenges in the near future, Chrysler showed strong presence at the auto show last week, unleashing five electric vehicle announcements on the public. Among the debuts was the previously mentioned Dodge Circuit, this time with a familiar front grille. Another notable drop was Jeep announcing a dedicated electric Pariot. The small SUV will supposedly drive 40 miles on electric, and then another 400 on the gas motor, not bad.

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Johnson Controls – Parts supplying giant, Johnson Controls, took the wraps of their r3 concept car. The car boasts a plug-in hybrid powertrain with lithium-ion cells and of course, eco friendly materials throughout the interior. Looks like, at least for now, the concept is simply to display what JCI can do, and not a future production car.

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Looks to me like we’re smack-dab in the middle of a transformation from pure-gas to pure-electric cars. Through 2009, we’ll see hybrids continue to dominate sales numbers, while EVs will begin to enter into the marketplace. As technology advances, renewable energies become more efficient, and the smart-grid infrastructure builds, we might just see the extinction of gas-powered vehicles faster than we once thought.