The Grass is Greener at Detroit Auto Show

Hybrid Vehicles | BCBusiness
Even in the face of lowered demand, automakers are showing a multitude of greener vehicles at this week’s Detroit Auto Show.

The Detroit Auto Show is greener than expected this year as automakers compete for the highest mileage-per-gallon ratio.

Auto enthusiasts are eyeing Michigan this week as the 2012 Detroit Auto Show gets underway.

While the event has its usual share of futuristic and concept models, The New York Times is reporting that the show floor is surprisingly saturated with hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles.

The higher proportion of fuel-efficient and electric cars comes in spite of flailing U.S. hybrid sales in the past several years. According to LMC Automotive, an industry research firm, hybrid sales fell to 2.2 per cent of the market share in 2011, compared to 2.4 per cent in 2010.

Even the highly anticipated electric Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf models fell short of sales expectations last year.

But major automakers, including Ford Motor, Honda, Nissan and Toyota, are still competing for the highest mile-per-gallon ratio with the hope that demand will catch up with supply.

Maybe automakers have seen the light – the internal combustion engine is a relic of the past. It also helps that stricter fuel-economy requirements forced car companies to get creative with greener fuel technologies.

As oil prices increase (as they inevitably will), hopefully more Americans will also see the long-term benefits and make the investment in hybrid or electric vehicles.

Maybe we’ll even see major cities south of the border with massive fleets of hybrid taxis, like we have here in Vancouver. Only time (and oil prices) will tell.