Cars of the Future

International Auto Show showcases new fuels for autos

Recently, Detroit has seen some tough times: turbulent Senate meetings about the auto company bailouts and subzero temperatures. But the annual North American International Auto Show in January shined a beacon of hope for Detroit.

The auto show is the largest show of its kind in North America, hosting the best and the newest from domestic and foreign carmakers. Just before opening its doors to the public January 17-25, the auto show gave a tour to this member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

Since 1907, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) has held an annual auto show in Detroit. In 1987, it became international.

Fifty-eight new vehicles were introduced this year, many of which were fuel-efficient hybrids such as the 2010 Honda Insight hybrid, the Cadillac Converj, and the third generation Toyota Prius hybrid.

William Perkins of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association gave me the inside scoop on the new "green" cars of the future. He is especially excited about the Cadillac Converi.

"It's an electric vehicle, and it's built on the same platform that the Chevrolet Volt was built on," he explained. The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in electric hybrid that will be in production in 2010. A plug-in hybrid can be literally plugged into a wall outlet to recharge its lithium-ion battery.

The highlight of my visit was riding in the Chevrolet fuel cell car in the EcoXperience display sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The auto show and MEDC partnered to created this exhibit to promote "green."

"In other words, fuel efficiency," Perkins said. "We're trying to alleviate our dependency on oil."

I tested the car on an indoor test track covering 1/8 mile. The car was much quieter than a gas-powered car, yet still looked the same. These alternative-fuel cars are the cars of the future, says Perkins. "The future of the auto industry is very bright!" he said. I know Michigan, which is home to the Big Three auto makers—General Motors, Ford, Chrysler—is counting on it.