Alt-fuel vehicles electrify Detroit

By Clifford Atiyeh of MSN Autos

Hybrid and electric cars should climb to 5 percent of U.S. market
share this year, an increase from 3.3 percent in 2012, according to WardsAuto, an industry news, research and data company. That's not a runaway success by any means, but it's a sure signal that automakers will be dreaming up more ideas to compete in this growing segment. Here are six plug-in models and one wild hybrid to watch — all were on display at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Via Motors Presidential

General Motors sells a small number of hybrid SUVs, but none as large as this Suburban modified by Detroit startup Via Motors. Via says this is the first plug-in hybrid SUV on sale in the United States; it has a 300-kilowatt electric motor and a 150-kilowatt generator that powers high-voltage plugs mounted on the truck's side. Pacific Gas & Electric and Verizon will be testing several Via products, including a plug-in van estimated to travel 35 miles before its engine switches on.

Tesla Model X

Tesla's long-awaited SUV debuted in Detroit with "falcon wings" for rear doors, and they're just as imposing as the bird itself. The 7-passenger Model X is a taller Model S but with available all-wheel drive. Even with its added weight, Tesla says the top Model X will hit 60 mph in five seconds, square in Porsche Cayenne territory. It's still more than a year away from production.

smart forstars

Nothing is what it seems on this smart electric concept. The hood scoop is actually a built-in video projector. The seats aren't really seats, but cloth straps stretched across open frames. Behind the taillights are two charging ports. It's no secret the current smart fortwo is aging — the basic style hasn't changed since 1998 — so this zany red coupe could spell out the future, if that future includes showing movies in your garage.

Cadillac ELR

The ELR isn't simply a new Cadillac, it's the world's first plug-in hybrid coupe. To that end, it shares the capable powertrain from the Chevrolet Volt, while incorporating a richer cockpit dressed in leather, Alcantara and Cadillac's new Cue infotainment system (plus the center cubby space has a power-assisted cover). It looks nothing like the Volt and more like the CTS coupe.

Volkswagen CrossBlue

Volkswagen makes a Touareg Hybrid and a diesel-powered Touareg TDI, but wouldn't it be ideal to combine them into one model? That's the idea behind the CrossBlue concept, which packs a diesel engine, all-wheel drive, dual-clutch transmission and up to 14 miles of all-electric driving. Mitsubishi is now selling a plug-in version of its new Outlander in Japan, with Europe and possibly the U.S. to follow later this year. Expect Volkswagen to act fast.

Nissan Resonance

Heralding a potential for electrified SUVs, Nissan unveiled its Resonance gas-electric hybrid, a concept strewn with lines pointing in every direction, including some of the most geometrically complicated wheels we've seen in a long time. Nissan didn't say much about the concept's hybrid powertrain, only that it included the company's latest continuously variable transmission. Given the size of the Resonance and Nissan's plan to introduce 15 new hybrids by 2015, we wouldn't be surprised if Nissan added a hybrid Pathfinder to the lineup.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive

Many fuels, including natural gas and hydrogen, have powered various models of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, but we've only seen this subcompact car on U.S. roads near the Canadian border. By this year or next, we'll have this all-electric B-Class to compete against the similar C-Max Energi, a plug-in hybrid that's already on sale. Will anyone pay a premium for an electric Mercedes, especially with a body style (R-Class) that Mercedes buyers have rejected? We're wagering the market will be slim.
Clifford Atiyeh has spent his entire life driving cars he doesn't own. Based in Boston, he is the senior news editorfor MSN Autos and contributes to The Boston Globe, Car and Driver and other publications.
 
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