The Detroit Auto Show, known officially as the North American International Auto Show, is always the biggest car show of the year. In 2009, though, the event wasn't quite as busy or as populated as it's been in past years. The whole down economy thing - plus problems with the venue - played a role in the downsizing, but organizers of the 2010 event are starting to hint that the next show will be bigger and better than 2009.

The Detroit News is saying that some automakers that skipped the show in 2009 - Ferrari, Land Rover and Nissan - might return next year. There were 51 brands represented in 2009. On the green car front, the changes of note include a bigger and better EcoXperience (the smelly fake forest driving area in the basement) where alternative fueled vehicles could be taken for test drives; and the first appearance of Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, which is hoping to sell small trucks in the U.S. soon. Also, a private event held during the show and designed to showcase big ticket cars called the "Gallery" might double in size in 2010. Last year, two Maybachs, one Lamborghini and one Fisker vehicle were sold during the Gallery.



Photos copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Detroit News]

In my first column reality checking the Detroit Auto Show, some of you questioned my assertion that even Toyota's relatively high-volume hybrids are probably not profitable. Of course, Toyota has lowered the costs of its Hybrid Synergy Drive components over many years and hundreds of thousands of units. But I believe they're still too high for any Toyota Hybrid - even the Prius or the soon-to-come higher-priced Lexus HS 250h - to turn a profit.

I can't prove it - Toyota is not about to share its cost numbers with me or anyone else - but that's my opinion, and these are "opinion" columns. Yours may differ, and yours may be right. But I'll bet no one outside of Toyota knows for sure.

What most folks outside the industry don't see or comprehend are the enormous costs of designing, testing, developing and validating every one of the thousands of parts and pieces that go into every modern vehicle. Beyond the mostly expensive and relatively low-volume hybrid system components themselves are all the Prius' specific body, chassis, electrical and comfort and convenience parts and pieces, few of which are shared with other vehicles. The addition of the new Lexus HS 250h on the same architecture will help by raising the volumes of parts that are shared, but I doubt whether even that will turn a profit at its higher prices but much lower volumes.

Am I suggesting that Toyota is fibbing by claiming that Prius is profitable? It depends on how they calculate their costs. If they add up the costs of all those parts and pieces - including the still very expensive battery, EVT transmission, motors, wiring, control systems and more - and toss in the relatively minor cost of assembly, the total may indeed be less than the Prius' average selling price. But they would have to discount all those years and huge costs of design, testing, development and validation, which must be spread out ("amortized") over hundreds of thousands, even millions, of units. Their business plan has depended on long-term profitability from growing sales of higher-priced luxury hybrids and sales of the Synergy drive system to other OEMs, neither of which has fared as well as hoped.

What I don't understand is why Prius' profitability seems so important to some ABG readers. If each unit sold does make a buck, bully for them. If not, so what? Toyota's whole hybrid program is still a hugely profitable investment as one of the best-ever image-building efforts any automaker has ever carried out. Whatever they have spent on it through the years is worth far more than any amount of paid advertising they could have bought for similar money. What should be important to potential owners is whether any EV's or HEV's selling price is worth the long-term gas savings it offers, whatever its cost to its manufacturer.

That said, let's reality check some other electrically-powered vehicles showcased at this year's Detroit North American International Auto Show. Follow us after the jump.

This year's Detroit North American International Auto Show (aka NAIAS) was easily the greenest ever, greener even than the evergreen Los Angeles show two months earlier. Several automakers (most notably Nissan) were missing due to the weak economy, while others (Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz) were present but silent with no press conferences. That left room for the likes of Tesla, Fisker and a pair of Chinese makers to set up shop on the main floor and hype the media on their grand plans.

While a number of high-powered gas- and diesel-burning machines (mostly from Europe) shared the NAIAS spotlight, nearly everyone there showed current and future EVs and gas-electric hybrids (HEVs). Among these, which will actually happen; which might sell in serious numbers; which (if any) will succeed to the point of being profitable for their makers?

Let us speculate (after the jump).

There are hundreds of vehicles on display at the Detroit Auto Show this year. Most of them were vehicles from past years, things we've all seen plenty of times. During our coverage of the new vehicles unveiled during the media preview days this past week, we hunted for everything that smelled even the slightest bit green or eco-friendly, then put together a list of 16 vehicles for you, our readers, to vote on. Voting closed on Friday and it is time to reveal the results. This is a very different list than the Top Ten that those of us who were at the show put together, and it's fun to note the differences. Some vehicles made both lists, sure, but not all, and nothihng ended up in the same position on both lists. The top vehicle is drastically different in the two lists, too. But enough of my rambling - check out the Readers' Top Ten here and see for yourself.

Following the unveiling of the production version of the Fisker Karma and the Karma Sunset concept, Henrik Fisker sat down to talk about the car company he has launched. We now have confirmation of some of the technical details such as the battery supplier which is Advanced Lithium Power. Fisker recently took an equity stake in ALP and has exclusive access to batteries from that company. Given the logistics of building the Karma in Finland with Valmet Automotive, profitability has two be a question. Fisker insists the company can build the Karma profitably at the $87,900 and venture capital funds like Kleiner Perkins would not have invested otherwise. Given some of the dubious internet start ups that these Silicon Valley money men have invested in, a profitable car company is no guarantee. Nonetheless, at least Fisker will have some revenue once they start delivering cars which is at lot more than can be said for many internet companies. Check out the video after the jump and the full article at Green Fuels Forecast.


[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]

Chrysler made quite a splash with its surprise unveiling last Sunday of their classy-looking 200C EV. The range-extended electric drive vehicle is capable of 40 gas-free miles and seemed a cut or two above most of their current line up - it also revealed that Chrysler still has some talented designers hidden away somewhere. In footage that the company has released onto the internets, we now have a chance to hear from some of those designers speak about their vision and the goals they tried to achieve in bringing this concept from paper to the spotlights of the Detroit Auto Show.

The video comes in three clips. The first features design vice-president Ralph Gilles and exterior designer Nick Malachowski talking about "value" and "falling in love" (with the car) interspersed with detail shots as well as rolling footage. The second clip discusses the inside with several folks involved with creating the somewhat futuristic interior, including Ryan Patrick Joyce, the lead designer, who also drops the L-word in describing the contents of each surface and line. If you prefer not to hear the artists blather on and on discuss their passion, feel free to skip ahead to the third video featuring pure 200C EV, inside and out. Hit the jump for all the love.





[Source: Chrysler]

Johnson Controls is a name familiar to many in the automotive world as a Tier 1 supplier of parts - usually interior bits like seats and electronic gadgetry - to automakers all over the world. In an effort to show off some of the company's latest bits and pieces, a complete concept car called the re3 has been created by the Wisconsin-based firm and debuted at the Detroit Auto Show. Like any proper concept these days, it covers its green bases, in this case featuring a plug-in hybrid powertrain complete with a lithium ion battery pack and eco-friendly renewable interior materials.

The stated goal of the re3 concept is to show what Johnson Controls is capable of offering its customers, which, in this case, are larger automakers and not consumers directly. Johnson Controls has a joint venture with Saft to produce vehicular battery packs and in the re3, a pack large enough to provide EV-only power in city environments is tucked in between the seats in the center tunnel. Want all the details? There's lots more after the break.


[Source: Johnson Controls]

As Ford was getting ready to make its big announcement this week in Detroit that it would build and sell a battery electric car beginning in 2011, I got a call asking if I'd like to come down and drive one of the development "mules." Being loathe to reject such opportunities, we immediately worked on squeezing it into the busy auto show schedule. Right after the Fisker press conference on Monday, I headed over to the Ford booth to get my ride.

A "mule" vehicle in automotive engineering parlance, is a non-representative vehicle fitted with a new powertrain or suspension components for testing purposes. In this case, Ford had a pair of current Focus sedans equipped with an electric drive train and lithium ion battery pack that was developed in partnership with Magna International. I spent some time chatting with chief engineer Greg Frenette and Magna rep Dick Devogelaere about the car and what we would see for production in two years time. The production model will be based on Ford's C-segment platform, meaning it will be Focus-sized. However, Ford has already said it will have several vehicles in the U.S. market off this platform, including an MPV like the European C-Max. Frenette would not say which body style would initially get the electric drive.

One item he would confirm was that there would be none of the whole leasing and taking back of the electric cars that other companies are still infamous for. The new EV will be sold outright to retail customers through Ford dealers beginning in 2011. Pricing is still undetermined. Check out the video after the jump and the full drive report on Green Fuels Forecast.


[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

After three days of running around Cobo Hall snapping photos, asking questions and banging out posts, it's time for a review of what we thought were the top green cars of the show. The financial meltdown of the last few months meant that a number of automakers took a pass on this year's show. For those that did show up, efficiency was a big part of the story. The Dodge Circuit EV pictured above probably has the best chance of being Chrysler's first production in EV if the company is still doing business as an independant automaker. Unfortunately it didn't quite make the top ten list. to find out which cars did make the list, click here.


Live Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

During his keynote speech to the Society of Automotive Analysts Outlook conference in Detroit this morning, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also dropped a few hints about the Model S. Most of the work on the Model S is on hold until Tesla gets its house in better financial shape, but some continues. During the cutbacks last fall, Musk cut the expenditures on Model S from 30 percent of the company's resources to 10 percent. However, powertrain development is still moving ahead and Musk indicated that if the engineering team is satisfied with the car's performance they will likely unveil it at a special event in late February.

As we knew before, Tesla will be offering the Model S with several battery options starting with a 150-mile range pack at the $57,500 base price. The top option will be a pack using cells with a more advanced chemistry that offers a 300-mile range. Tesla is also developing fast swap battery packs. The removal and installation of the Roadster pack is about an 8 hour operation. This may or may not be part of the standard Model S feature set. Tesla has also developed a fast charger that can top up the battery in 45 minutes. One option being considered is to offer pack rentals for Model S owners planning a longer road trip. They would be able to temporarily get a 300-mile pack installed that would facilitate longer trips. One other tidbit is that Tesla Roadster customers will have priority to snag a postion in line once Tesla begins to accept orders on the Model S. We'll have more soon.

[Source: Elon Musk]