Enviro Cars Star at Detroit Auto Show

Enviro Cars Star at Detroit Auto Show

    
 
January 2007  - At the 2007 North 
American International Auto Show Sunday, General Motors' head 
Rick Wagoner unveiled the Chevrolet Volt concept sedan and 
announced that production work has begun on a new generation 
of electric vehicles that could eliminate gas stations for 
Americans who live close to their workplaces. 
Built on a platform that GM calls the E-flex System, the Volt 
is a battery powered electric car that has a range of 40 city 
miles after a six-hour charge from a household electrical 
outlet. GM says it would be a viable, gas-free daily driver 
for Americans whose one-way work commute is 20 miles or less. 
That's 78 percent of all American workers, according to GM 
Vice Chairman, Product Development Bob Lutz. 
GM's new Chevrolet Volt concept sedan (Photo courtesy GM)
The car also has a flex-fuel gasoline engine that extends the 
range to up to 640 miles. The gas engine does not drive the 
wheels – instead, it creates electricity that powers the 
wheels. 
The Volt's sharp-angle body style proves that "environmentally 
conscious cars can actually look good, as well," Lutz said. 
BMW is showing the Hydrogen 7, a flex-fuel vehicle that runs 
on gasoline and hydrogen fuel. 
Hydrogen as a motor fuel is the answer to many environmental 
problems since there are no harmful emissions, no depleting of 
resources, no danger to the atmosphere, and it can be produced 
from a variety of renewable resources. 
BMW's hydrogen vehicles run on liquid hydrogen that is 
produced from water using solar power. The hydrogen is 
dispensed from automated filling stations, and it powers 
modified BMW production vehicles. 
Toyota will unveil a hybrid sports car, its FT-HS concept, at 
the North American International Auto Show, NAIAS 2007. 
The FT-HS concept was a joint project of Calty, Toyota's 
research and design center located in Newport Beach, 
California, and Toyota's California-based Advanced Product 
Strategy Group. The design team was assigned the task of 
creating a mid-priced sports car that integrates ecology and 
emotion in a concept that addresses the question "What is a 
suitable sports car for the 21st Century?" 
Toyota's concept hybrid sports car, the FT-HS. (Photo courtesy 
Toyota) 
The FT-HS pairs a V6, 3.5L gasoline engine with an electric 
motor and lithium-ion battery pack. The concept vehicle has a 
sleek sports car profile, and utilizes lightweight aerodynamic 
materials such as carbon-fiber wheels. The front-engine, 
rear-drive sports car has a projected zero-to-60 miles per 
hour acceleration of about four seconds and a price tag in the 
mid-$30,000 range. 
Hot sports car or cool commuter vehicle, more than half of all 
Americans say due to soaring gas prices they would consider 
buying or leasing a fuel efficient hybrid car, according to a 
poll taken last spring. 
The CNN/USA Today/Gallup telephone poll of 1,001 adults was 
done in March and released in April 2006. 
Environmentally friendly cars at the auto show are generating 
attention from government figures, including U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson, 
who will be attending the show as he did last year. 
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters will make an appearance 
and announce her proposal to reform the Department of 
Transportation's National New Car Assessment Program. 
Officials from the Department of Transportation, the National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the EPA are meeting 
with manufacturers GM, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota while at the 
show. 
Also attending in 2007 are the Office of Aerospace, the 
Washington Foreign Press, Department of State's Bureau of 
Public Affairs and the Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission. 
In November, Michigan launched the Renewable Fuels Commission, 
a public-private team to help develop the state's alternative 
fuel industry. 
"The work of the Renewable Fuels Commission is a critical part 
of our effort to make Michigan the nation's leader in 
developing and producing alternative energy," said Michigan 
Governor Jennifer Granholm. "As more E-85 and flex fuel 
vehicles are produced, it is essential that we make biodiesel 
and ethanol products more widely available and encourage their 
use." 
Toyota is planning to release a flex-fuel full size pickup 
next year that can run on E-85 ethanol, Jay Lentz, executive 
vice president, Toyota Motor Sales, said Sunday. 
The 2009 model truck will be a variation on the new Toyota 
Tundra CrewMax, a full size pickup that debuted Sunday at the 
auto show. 
In 2007, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association will celebrate 
the centennial of its successful association with the North 
American International Auto Show. Since its inception in 1907, 
the show has grown from a regional event featuring 17 
exhibitors to an internationally sanctioned show with over 90 
exhibitors, which brought more than $500 million into the 
metro Detroit region last year. 
Held at Detroit's COBO Conference/Exhibition Center, press 
preview days at the North American International Auto Show run 
through Tuesday. Industry preview days will be held on 
Wednesday and Thursday. The Charity Preview will be held 
Friday evening. Public days are Saturday, January 13 through 
Sunday, January 21.