2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: We're Dreamin' of a Green Thanksgiving

2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: We're Dreamin' of a Green Thanksgiving

By John O'Dell November 16, 2010

Jaguar's awesome C-X75 microturbine plug-In hybrid concept is expected to be one of the show's stars.

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(Note:  Article modified 11/16/10 to include new information about Coda Automotive's just-announced production and delivery delay.)

Easter is all pastel; Independence Day is red, white and blue, Halloween is orange and Thanksgiving - well, if the Thanksgiving holidays were looking for a theme color, green might be a good choice.

That's the hue that will overshadow most others this Thanksgiving week in Los Angeles at any rate, as the annual L.A. International Auto Show showcases the largest selection of "green" cars in its history - for which we're appropriately thankful!

More than 50 battery electric, plug-in and conventional hybrid, fuel-cell electric, clean diesel and natural gas vehicles - from idealistic concepts to real production models - will be on display at the show, which is holding its press preview days Wednesday and Thursday (we'll be there) before opening to the public on Friday evening at the L.A. Convention Center for a nine-day run through Thanksgiving weekend.

Among the stars will be the two cars that officially launch the modern electric-drive era, Nissan's battery electric Leaf and General motors' range-extended plug-in Volt.

Both are slated to launch in the retail market before the end of the year and except for a few limited-production EVs such as the Tesla Roadster and Commuter Cars Tango (right), are the first electric-drive vehicles in modern times to be offered to the general public (others have been released, but only for targeted test programs).

Another star - a car that won't go into production for years, if at all - is the Jaguar C-X75 concept, which uses biofuel-burning microturbines to produce electricity that would drive four individual wheel-motors if it were a working model.

Here's a look, by manufacturer, at what we know will be shown in LA (there may be a few surprises). Known and expected production timetables for prototypes and concepts are listed, other vehicles are already on the market.

Audi
  VW's luxury-performance brand will show its A3 TDI turbo diesel sedan and the recently introduced Q7 TDI turbo diesel SUV.  We expect the previously shown Audi e-tron electric sports car prototype will also be on the stand.
 
BMW
   The boys from Bavaria will display their 335d (for diesel) sedan as well as the recently introduced ActiveHybrid X6 sport activity vehicle and ActiveHybrid 7-Series sedan.

Buick
    The 107-year-old division of General Motors will unveils the 2012 LaCrosse with eAssist, a new fuel-saving technology that increases fuel economy by 25 percent compared to the four-cylinder/six-speed powertrain in the 2011 LaCrosse. The eAssist technology provides class-leading highway fuel economy of 37 mpg.
   
Cadillac
   Nothing new on the green scene from GM's luxe marque - just the latest version of the Escalade dual-mode hybrid - a vehicle that's big among movers and shakers in LA's music and entertainment scene. 

Chevrolet
    One of the show's big draws will be the Chevy Volt range-extended plug-in (left). The hatch-back gas-electric sedan with 20-50 miles of all-electric range, with its Apple-esque touch-button, or haptic, center console, goes on sale in limited markets late this month with a global rollout over the next two years.
    
Coda
   The Coda Sedan, a battery-electric sedan using Chinese and U.S.-sourced components, built in China and shipped to the U.S. for installation of its electric drive system is slated to be at the show, but we're hearing that there may be a pre-show announcement of the company on Tuesday announced yet another delay in its launch, which had been slated to begin early next year. The company now says production will begin in the second quarter next yer with deliveries to start in the third quarter. Coda's been having a bit of upheaval lately - its marketing director left a few weeks ago and its CEO resigned (but remains an advisor and major shareholder) just last week. When Coda gets things together again, plans call for the EV initially to be sold only in California, with a gradual U.S. rollout slated - as of last word - to begin in 2013.

Commuter Cars Inc.
    The Tango, a narrow, tall and verrrry speedy and expensive ($108,000-plus) battery electric vehicle (BEV), will be there, but George Clooney, the best-known Tango owner, isn't expected.

Fisker Automotive
     The production version of the Karma extended-range plug-in, an exotic that aims to provide a  luxury-performance ride for the well-heeled consumer with an itch to reduce his - ort her - carbon footprint. The 88,000 sedan is slated to go one sale early next year.

Ford 
    We're hoping to see the new Ford Focus EV (left), but as it won't be on sale til late next year as a 2012 model, that's probably not to be. We do kow, though, that Ford will have its Escape Hybrid SUV and the hit-selling Fusion Hybrid sedan at the show - the Escape has been around for several years, the Fusion was new this year. And it's likely that you'll be able to peek at the Transit Connect EV, being sold as a commercial vehicle but an ideal green surf van, we think.
  
GMC
    GM's truck specialist will show the latest Yukon Denali Hybrid, cradle-mate of the Caddy Escalade and Chevrolet Tahoe dual mode hybrids.
 
Honda
    Although a lot more interested in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells than in battery EVs, Honda is bowing to what it sees as a growing market trend and will show battery-electric concept car.  Also on hand, the compressed natural gas powered Honda Civic GX; the Civic Hybrid, the new CR-Z hybrid sporty coupe, the Insight hybrid and the fuel-cell electric FCX Clarity.

Hyundai
    Fast-growing and ever-improving Hyundai will debut its new Sonata Hybrid, a nicely down gas-electric version of the redesigned 2011 Sonata sedan.

Jaguar
    The exotic C-X75 Concept, a range-extended plug-in hybrid that uses a pair of powerful microturbines to make electricity on-board when the battery is depleted, is expected to be not only the big draw on Jag's stand, but one of the stars of the entire auto show. It certainly awed 'em at the recent  Paris motor Show, where it made its debut. Jag says it would be several years, if ever, before we could see a production version.

Kia
     The South Korean automaker is showing its new Optima Hybrid sedan (left), slated to go on sale next year, and the POP electric city car concept it unveiled earlier this year at the Paris Motor Show.

Lexus
     The entire Lexus hybrid fleet will be on hand, including the seldom-seen (because it is not very often sold) LS 600h L, a long-wheelbase luxury cruiser with a $108,000 pricetag. Also in the Lexus hybrid stable: the CT 200h sedan, the GS 450h sedan, the HS 250h and the RX 450h. 

Li-ion Motors
    The company, headquartered in Las Vegas but with its R&D and manufacturing in North Carolina, was one of two $2.5-million winners in the recent Progressive Automotive X-Prize's alternative category for two-seat vehicles. It will be showing the X-prize winning Wave II battery electric, an airplane-styled four-wheel commuter car, and the high=performance, and high-priced Inizio electric sports car. Both are expected to go on sale in limited numbers - very limited for the Inizio - next year.

Lincoln
    Ford's luxe division - its only division now that Mercury is being folded -  will show the MKZ Hybrid, the Ford Fusion Hybrid's upscale stablemate that went on sale in September.

Mercedes-Benz
    The luxury car maker is showing two clean diesels, the E350 BlueTEC sedan and the  ML350 BlueTEC SUV, as well as the S400 Hybrid sedan. Also on hand will be the B-Class F-CELL prototype (right), Mercedes' test car for a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle. The company is building hundreds, but just for testing purposes in Europe and the U.S. It is one of nine automakers that have pledged to begin selling fuel-cell cars for the mass market in 2015 wherever there is a hydrogen fueling infrastructure to support them.

Mini
    The Mini-E, a battery-electric prototype from BMW's Mini subsidiary, will make its second appearance at the LA show. No word yet on whether Mini will produce a retail model, but the test car is helping BWM develop battery-electric drive system for the 2013 Megacity EV and a 1-Series EV expected to hit the market in the next few years.

Mitsubishi
    The U.S. version of the i-MiEV city electric car makes its bow. It's a slightly wider and longer version of the battery-electric four-seat minicar Mitsubishi designed for urban commuting. The i-MiEV is capable of freeway travel, but range is limited to 50 miles at highway speeds. Mitsubishi already sells it in Japan and is launching in the U.S. and other markets starting next year.

Nissan 
    The maker of the Leaf battery electric hatchback (right) - an EV with a range of up to 100 miles per charge that goes on sale in limited markets in December with a global rollout to proceed through 2013 - will also show the Ellure concept, reportedly a design studio exercise in combining sexy design and plug-in electric drive.

Porsche
    The sports car makers will show its just-launched Cayenne S Hybrid SUV and the powerful 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car it showed during the Geneva auto show in February and  now is racing on the Le Mans circuit.

Saab
    The Swedish automaker, recently sold by GM to Netherlands-based exotic sports car maker Spyker Cars, will show the 9-3 ePower Concept, a battery-electric version of the 9-3 sedan. Saab plans to launch a small test fleet of the 9-3 EVs in Sweden next year. 

Smart
     Daimler's exercise in tiny city cars hasn't fared all that well in the U.S. but hopes its upcoming Smart Fortwo EV will change things. For our money, the two-seat battery-electric Smart car is a better vehicle than the gasoline model it is based on.

Toyota
    The hybrid segment's 800-lb. gorilla will show three existing models, the Camry sedan, Prius hatchback and Highlander SUV conventional hybrids, along with the upcoming plug-in - or grid-rechargeable - version of the Prius. We'll also get our first look at the RAV4-EV crossover built in collaboration with electric sports car maker Tesla Motors and slated to go on sale in 2012.

Volvo
    The other Swedish automaker - recently sold by Ford Motor Co. to Chinese automaker Geely Holdings, will unveil the C30 EV prototype is began developing while still owned by Ford. Volvo is expected to announce this week that it will build 1,000 test cars for the U.S., China and European markets next year as it strives to gauge consumer acceptance of a small battery-electric hatchback with a range of 70-100 miles. 

Volkswagen
    The recently-launched Touareg Hybrid is slated to be VW's only "green" showing, but the company does have two EVs in the works, battery electric versions of the Up! city car and the Golf (called the Golf Blue e-motion) and we wouldn't be surprised to see one of them on the stand.

Wheego

     Tiny Wheego Electric Cars hopes to make a splash with the highway-capable, two-seat, 100-mile Whip LiFe battery EV.   

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.