LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Los Angeles Auto Show got underway here Wednesday with car-makers vowing to put environmental concerns at the top of the agenda as they unveiled the cars of next year and tomorrow.
General Motors, Ford and Chrysler all expressed their desire to develop fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly cars after years of developing gas-guzzling vehicles that have struggled to compete with rivals from Japan.
Against a backdrop of mounting concern about climate change and soaring oil prices, Ford chief Alan Mulally unveiled the company's "blueprint for sustainability."
In the short term the plan would see Ford cars fitted with fuel-saving, turbo-charged gasoline direct injection engines offered in high volumes on lighter vehicles.
Over the medium term, Ford would work to reduce the average weight of its vehicles while in the long term the company would seek to introduce more hybrid models capable of running on gas and electricity.
"Ford is committed to offering customers affordable, environmentally friendly technologies in vehicles they really want," Mulally said.
"We are focusing on sustainable technology solutions that can be used not for hundreds or thousands of cars - but for millions of cars, because that is how Ford can truly make a difference."
General Motors echoed Ford's stance, expressing a desire to "achieving fuel economy and environmental technology leadership in every segment in which it competes."
GM revealed a hybrid version of its best-selling Chevrolet Silverado pick-up on Wednesday, a truck that reveals the automaker's desire to offer environmentally conscious vehicles without sacrificing size.
"We get asked often about why we're making hybrid versions of big trucks and SUVs," Ed Peper, general manager of Chevrolet said on the company's blog.
"There are two answers, and they're both simple: because Americans still need, buy, and love trucks; and because we want to do what we can to lessen the environmental impact when we drive them."
The Silverado is expected to be up to 50 percent more fuel efficient in cities, and comes after a hybrid version of its cousin, the Chevrolet Tahoe.
Chrysler, meanwhile, which has been slow to enter the "green" market, unveiled its first production hybrids, the Aspen and Dodge Durango.
The vehicles offered "hybrid fuel efficiency combined with full-size SUV performance, capability and utility," the company said.
The relatively recent willingness of US automakers to give priority to environmental concerns is in sharp contrast to Japanese car-makers, such as Toyota, whose Prius has gained a firm foothold in the North American market.
Honda meanwhile announced plans to offer a state-of-the-art hydrogen-powered car for lease in California next year, offering a glimpse of the next generation of environmentally friendly vehicles.
The expense of fuel cell technology means Honda is still a long way from putting the car into mass production, but its debut represented "significant progress" in developing cars capable of use in everyday life.
"The FCX Clarity is a shining symbol of the progress we've made with fuel cell vehicles and of our belief in the promise of this technology," said American Honda chief executive Tetsuo Iwamura.
"We are working to overcome obstacles to the mass-market potential of zero emissions hydrogen fuel cell automobiles," Iwamura added.
The Clarity's only emission is water, Honda said.
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