This year's North American International Auto Show is a bit less bloated than last year but, despite the auto industry's well-documented woes, the show must go on. So, per usual, downtown sees an influx of out-of-towners who, always seem to be having a swell time. And we read about cars a lot. The thing is, this year, we've all been reading about them a lot more than usual -- even before the Auto Show arrived.So then, without (much) editorializing, Green Space presents a tour of the show with an eye on green initiatives. There is no way to make this absolutely comprehensive, so consider it my own personal take.Because some companies have pulled out of the show and others have made their exhibitions smaller, a few entities -- such as the College for Creative Studies and the Chinese automakers -- have been moved up from the dank basement in which they have festered for years as second-class citizens. And now there is a reason for people to actually visit the basement: a 1/8-mile track on which drivers (that pass a breathalyzer, natch) can test-drive one of a dozen electric and hybrid vehicles. It's sponsored by the Michigan Economic Growth Corp., and (here we go, editorializing already) we think it's pretty damn cool.One of the vehicles available for test-driving is the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid, which gets 120 miles per gallon. They're a little beyond being just a concept vehicle, since California utility companies are already testing dozens of them for fleet vehicles. Ford hasn't confirmed that this is the plug-in hybrid they plan to begin producing in 2012, but it certainly seems like it's at least in the running for the nod.It's all about the Volt for General Motors. CEO Rick Waggoner made a bunch of announcements about it, many having to do with job creation; here are just a few: The battery system, now named Voltec, will be produced in the United States. There are ongoing talks with the state of Michigan. This will be the first battery manufacturing facility in the US. (Crazy, right?) A battery lab, estimated to be 31,000 square feet, will also be in the US and Michigan is also being strongly considered. This would be the largest battery research facility in the US. (Again, crazy.) GM will be adding 200 engineers to its battery team and is looking to open lab in Ann Arbor and establish related curriculum at the University of Michigan. GM plans for the extended range electric car to enter the market as a 2011 model year vehicle.Chrysler showed off an extended range electric too: the Jeep Patriot EV -- but there's no details on when or if it will ever be produced.Toyota and Honda had a proverbial showdown. Everyone already knows and loves the Prius. Its 2010 version, is bigger, faster and gets more mpg -- it's up to 50, making it the most fuel-efficient vehicle available in the US.Honda isn't taking Toyota's hybrid dominance lying down. They've introduced the Insight. The vehicle looks a lot like a Prius (let's just say that neither will win design awards) but is a bit smaller. The big diff between the two is in price and fuel efficiency. In the former, the Insight is rumored to go for $18,500, while the current model of the Prius goes for $22,000. As for mpg? In this race, Toyota's 50 smashes Honda's 41.Interesting.Chinese automaker BYD showed off their F3DM, an extended-range electric vehicle already under production. With a retail proces of $22,000.Just for comparison, it is looking like the Volt will retail for around double that. Yikes!Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
