Undoubtedly Mike Millikin will have more to say in his Sustainable Sunday transportation wrap-up, but this week's North American International Auto Show seems to have been the platform for at least two of the big three US carmakers to pretend that they haven't let Toyota and Honda get the better of them in terms of green cars.
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Ford announced that it will have five hybrid models for sale within three years. Its current hybrid mini-SUV, the Escape, will be matched by another mini-SUV, the Mercury Mariner, in 2005, and a pair of hybrid mid-size sedans by 2008. Ford also provided more details on a diesel-hybrid concept car, the Meta One.
A bit more forward-looking technologically, if still behind the ball in terms of actual roll-out, GM unveiled two advanced technology hybrid concept vehicles -- a midsize SUV hybrid and a diesel hybrid sedan -- as well as a hydrogen concept car, the Sequel. The Sequel, like the second-generation Honda FCX, approaches real-world usability in terms of range (~300 miles) and performance. Of course, as "concept cars," GM makes no promises that they'll ever make these available to buyers.
I find it interesting -- and a bit sad -- that Ford and GM continue to focus so heavily on the higher-weight end of the automotive spectrum. It's not that they shouldn't add hybrid technology to SUVs and big sedans and the like; I suspect that, within a decade, hybrid technologies will be found across the line. It's more that they refuse to offer a real competitor (in terms of efficiency) to the Honda Civic Hybrid or the Toyota Prius -- none of the US automaker hybrids now on sale or soon to be on sale have mileage figures anywhere near the levels of Japanese hybrids from two or three years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these hybrid SUVs turn out to be commercial flops: they don't have enough of a mileage improvement to appeal to hybrid buyers looking for efficiency, and add a large enough amount to the price tag to deter people just looking for the latest model big vehicle.
