L.A. Show’s Clean Diesel, Hybrid, and Hydrogen Vehicles

by Todd Kaho

11/05/2007

It's encouraging to see the premiere auto shows around the world go green. From Detroit to Frankfurt and Geneva to Tokyo, environmental issues are making headlines as the green revolution gains momentum. It seems that every automotive press conference has an environmental message. Clearly, fuel economy and emissions have moved from the fringe to center stage with a worldwide platform.

But L.A. is different. The Los Angeles Auto Show, with its 100 year history of showcasing automotive innovation, stands out as the first major auto show to have embraced green and environmental issues and technologies as a headline topic. It was here, after all, that General Motors chose to unveil the Impact electric car concept in 1990 that became the EV1. That's not surprising when you consider that California has been at the forefront of environmental mandates and automotive legislation for decades. California, after all, is where many automotive trends have started over the years. Clean cars and air quality improvement have often found their focus in Southern California because of the Los Angeles basin's historic battle against smog.

The Los Angeles Auto Show recently moved to a new time slot, staking out mid-November rather than early January in a strategic move to bring more world premier concept and production vehicle introductions to the show. It was a very good move. The January timeframe always found L.A. directly competing with the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which followed right on the heels of the L.A. show. In recent years, automakers often saved much of their big news for Detroit because, after all, this is home turf for many major brands. The Los Angeles Auto Show's new early dates have worked out extremely well and Los Angeles is now a prime target for new product introductions.

Capitalizing on this recent momentum, nearly every manufacturer used L.A. to showcase its latest green concepts and production announcements. Included among them were 40 world and North American vehicle debuts. Here are a few of the highlights.

AUDI CROSS CABRIOLET QUATTRO

Audi describes its Cross Cabriolet Quattro as a concept that combines the genes of a typical dynamic soft-top Audi convertible with the all-around qualities of a fully fledged SUV. Quattro designates Audi's celebrated all-wheel drive system. What really stirs our Green Car interest is beneath the hood. The Cross Cabriolet is powered by a 240 horsepower, three-liter TDI diesel engine that delivers satisfying performance with emissions on par with super-clean EU 6 emissions limits, which are due to be introduced in 2014.

CHEVROLET BEAT

GM used L.A. to announce that the subcompact Beat concept shown at the New York Auto Show will become a production car. Beat established itself as the most popular of a trio of tiny concepts that GM has been fielding, with popularity determined through online voting. To date, 1.9 million votes have been received. Chevy's stylish compact city car will be built in Korea. The second most popular concept, called Groove, may follow if the Beat is well received.

CHEVROLET SILVERADO TWO-MODE HYBRID

Making good on the promise to bring highly-efficient "strong" hybrids to the highway, Chevy pulled the wraps off its 2009 Silverado Two-Mode Hybrid pickup truck while also pledging 16 new hybrid models over the next four years. Billed as the most fuel efficient full-size pickup truck available, the Silverado Hybrid will deliver economy increases similar to that of the two-mode 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid that will go on sale shortly (see 2008 Green Car of the Year). The two-mode system is very efficient in stop-and-go city driving and also provides hybrid power assistance at highway speeds for well-rounded performance.

DODGE DURANGO / CHRYSLER ASPEN HYBRIDS

Chrysler's big surprise was a pair of SUVs propelled by the company's version of the two-mode hybrid system developed in conjunction with BMW, GM, and Mercedes-Benz. In Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen hybrids, the two-mode system is mated to the renowned 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 to deliver a sum total of 385 horsepower. Towing capacity is 6,000 pounds and Chrysler estimates that the eight passenger vehicles will provide better than a 25 percent overall fuel economy improvement.

HONDA CLARITY FCX

Clearly the biggest news of the L.A. Auto Show was Honda's unveiling of the next-generation FCX Clarity advanced fuel cell vehicle. Honda says it will begin limited retail marketing of the Clarity to retail customers in Southern California next summer, with an expected $600 monthly lease cost that also includes insurance. The sleek sedan appears production ready and is powered by Honda's new compact and highly efficient V-Flow fuel cell stack, which manages to be lighter and more efficient than previous models while also delivering improved power and range.

KIA KND-4

Highly efficient clean diesel didn't take a back seat to the hybrid announcements in Los Angeles. Kia, for example, showed the four seat KND-4 concept, a diminutive crossover powered by an efficient 2.2-liter VGT diesel engine. The all-wheel-drive concept rides on oversize 20 inch alloy wheels and low-profile performance rubber. KND-4's interior is futuristic with an Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) ultra-thin display screen and an ability to play high-definition Blu-Ray DVDs.

PORSCHE CAYENNE HYBRID

A Porsche hybrid? You bet. The German performance car manufacturer is joining the gasoline-electric hybrid revolution with its Cayenne SUV. Fuel economy is said to offer a 20 percent improvement over the standard V-6, with acceleration about a half-second quicker in 0-60 mph sprints. Porsche is targeting 27 mpg by the time the hybrid makes its way to showrooms. The North American debut featured an elaborate cutaway display to show how the powertrain works. Currently, the Cayenne Hybrid is powered by a 290 horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 that's augmented by a 51 horsepower, 38 kW three phase electric motor-generator. Production could be as early as the 2009 model year.

VW SPACE UP! BLUE

Volkswagen rolled out the third edition of its family of small and space efficient concept cars in Los Angeles. The Space Up! Blue is powered by a high-temperature fuel cell located in the rear of the vehicle, seemingly carrying on the tradition of yesterday's rear-engine air-cooled VWs. The design allows considerable interior room for such a compact vehicle. Space Up! Blue is also a plug-in electric vehicle offering an estimated 60 mile range on battery power alone with a 200-plus mile gasoline-electric combined range.