This year's North American International Auto Show highlighted fuel efficiency, concept cars and vehicles from Asian automakers.

By Bill Howard

Most car shows are about dreams: shiny convertibles, racy sports cars and monster four-wheel-drive pickups. This year, however, Detroit's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) is about reality: the reality that gasoline prices seem stuck on the high side of $3 a gallon and that the auto industry has to address fuel efficiency in a dramatic way while further reducing pollution and dealing with the potential of global warming.

It wasn't just a few automakers showing alternative-energy vehicles. It seemed as if everybody had one, from a Chinese automaker hoping to enter the U.S. market with a car likely to cost around $10,000 to Ferrari, where it's hard to spend less than $200,000. This all points to the likelihood that gasoline-electric hybrids, ultra-clean diesels, mostly-battery-power hybrids and possibly hydrogen fuel cars will make up 15 percent of the market in just a few years.

Hybrids: Made popular by Toyota's Prius, these cars have a big pack of battery cells under the back seat that can power the car from standstill to 20 mph and, if you're gentle on the throttle, they can go for a mile or two before the engine kicks in. When you tap the brakes, the resistance from a generator slows the car and recharges the batteries. (That also saves wear and tear on brake pads.)

At Detroit this year, it was almost easier to count which car manufacturers won't have hybrids by 2010. The drawback remains that hybrids cost $2,000 to $3,000 more, so payback for the consumer might not be until late in the life of the vehicle, but the green benefits start immediately. Toyota's A-BAT concept pickup truck may be a test to see if there's enough interest to spin off the Prius model line as an entirely separate brand, the way Toyota did previously with Scion.

Low-emissions diesels: Forget smoke-belching trucks. Diesel engines in passenger cars are quiet, have great acceleration and offer up to 20 percent better fuel economy than hybrids on the highway. (Hybrids shine in stop-and-go traffic.) Technology that's just now available captures what little soot and pollutants caused problems for regulators in California and the four states in the Northeast that set more stringent rules than the federal government.

Mercedes-Benz pioneered the low-pollution Bluetec diesel engine two years ago and now says all its SUVs will have diesel options. This year, BMW debuted a pair of diesel cars, the X5 SUV and 3 Series compact sports sedan, which are legal in all 50 states. Audi, Honda and Toyota also announced plans for low-emissions diesel vehicles. At NAIAS, Audi showed a diesel version of its R8 super sports car — not really a surprise since the automaker won the LeMans 24 Hours race with a diesel engine for the last four years.

Plug-in hybrids: It costs more to run an electric dryer than a gas dryer, but with cars, it's the other way around: Household electricity used to charge hybrid car batteries costs less than half of what gasoline costs on a per-mile basis. So automakers are looking at plug-in hybrids with even bigger, more sophisticated battery packs that could power a car anywhere from five to 40 miles before a small gasoline or diesel engine kicks in.

Since most daily commutes are less than 40 miles, it's possible that consumers would be running the engine only a couple of times a month. The rest of the time they would charge up in a few hours at home using a standard wall outlet.

Both Toyota and General Motors showed plug-in hybrids they believe could come to market as early as 2010. And a startup called Fisker announced plans to deliver an $80,000 sports sedan plug-in at the end of 2009.

Flex fuel: Virtually all of General Motors' fleet can run on E85: a mixture of 85 percent ethanol derived from corn (or other plants or waste) and 15 percent gasoline. However, critics say the cost of creating E85 is inefficient.

At NAIAS, GM announced a partnership with Illinois' Coskata that will produce ethanol for $1 a gallon versus $1.50 a gallon currently. Plus, the energy expended in the conversion process to make ethanol is about 70 percent efficient (70 percent of the energy used to make the motor fuel actually winds up in the fuel) instead of the current 30 percent.

Ethanol also burns cleaner and produces a bit more power, but mileage falls by 5 percent to 25 percent. For example, if your car currently gets 20 mpg from gasoline, switching to E85 would give you between 19 mpg and 15 mpg. (E85 supporters say the efficiency loss is minor, while some real-world tests have shown a falloff of as much as 25 percent.)

In addition, Ferrari announced a future version of its $200,000 F430 sports car that will run on bio fuel or E85.

Hydrogen fuel cells: Combine hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell, and the reaction emits water plus electricity to drive motors. But it takes lots of energy to create the hydrogen and compress it to fit in a heavy canister, and the range is only 100 to 150 miles.

While there are a couple of hundred prototype hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen burning vehicles on the road now from GM, BMW and others, it will be years before these cars are commercially available. The earliest estimates are 2010 for commercial fleets, and many say these cars are really five to 10 years away. So, think of this as a longer-term solution that won't be ready until sometime early in the next decade — and initially in small quantities.

Most hydrogen cars use fuel cells. These vehicles include the Cadillac Provoq (pronounced provoke) crossover concept; the Chevrolet Equinox SUV, which is being tested by about 100 users; and the Honda FCX Clarity, which claims a 270-mile range and will go into very limited trial production this year.

BMW's Hydrogen 7 takes a different approach. It burns liquid hydrogen in its traditional V12 engine, which can instantly switch over to burn gasoline. And Mazda talked about creating a hydrogen-burning version of its special rotary engine.

Redesigns and Concept Cars

Fuel-efficient vehicles weren't the only cars attracting attention at NAIAS. For example, Ford showed off a redesign of its popular F-150 truck, featuring lighter materials; a drop-down step built into the tailgate; and the Sync adapter, which provides hands-free phone connections using the Bluetooth technology and an adapter that lets you play virtually every music player (including iPods) using voice commands or car radio controls.

Ford also displayed the Verve concept, which will give the automaker a stylish car smaller than Focus when the Verve arrives in about 2010.

And the emphasis on efficiency slowed, but did not halt, the yield of muscle cars. A prime example is Chevrolet's ZR1 Corvette, which has a supercharged V8 engine producing 620 horsepower.

Buick's Riviera concept car — a coupe with gull wing doors — was one of the sexiest at the show. Nissan's Forum concept crossover vehicle has center-row seats on pedestals that swivel 180 degrees at the press of a button, and its Bose audio system brings up a menu screen when your hand approaches the dials.

Many buyers were attracted by the beautiful interior of the Volkswagen Passat CC sedan. Others checked out the Mini Cooper Clubman, which looks like a station wagon. Its extra nine inches makes the rear seat passable for small adults.

Many buyers were attracted by the beautiful interior of the Volkswagen Passat CC sedan. Others checked out the Mini Cooper Clubman, which looks like a station wagon. Its extra nine inches makes the rear seat passable for small adults.

Asian Automakers Join the Show

A half-dozen automakers from China displayed cars, pickups and SUVs with hopes of selling in the United States market as early as the end of 2008. BYD (Build Your Dreams) Auto, Chamco, Changfeng, Geely, Guang Ming and Zhongxing (ZXAuto) all showed vehicles at NAIAS. BYD displayed a plug-in hybrid prototype, while Chamco claims it could have cars on sale by year's end.

Though most of these vehicles are stripped down (mediocre fit and finish, missing amenities such as cup holders, etc.), have unusual color schemes (one is yellow with red leather), and face uncertainties about passing U.S. crash tests (they haven't taken these tests yet), it would be a mistake to count them out — especially with potential prices of $10,000 to $15,000.

In 2009, look for Indian automakers that may be even more cost-efficient in the short term. For example, Tata has a concept minicar that could sell for $2,500.

At the high end of Asian cars displayed at the show is the Hyundai Genesis, a luxury sports sedan that is the first Korean car designed to compete with high-end Japanese cars such as Lexus. Genesis will cost around $30,000 and will go on sale this summer.

Bio: Bill Howard is an experienced automotive writer and the editor of TechnoRide.com, the car technology site produced by Ziff Davis. Previously, he was PC Magazine's executive editor. Howard is also vice president of the International Motor Press Association.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Progressive Casualty Insurance Company or its affiliates.