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Vehicle
Electrification and Other Green Advances Surge Ahead at the LA Auto
Show®
Battery
and plug-in EVs as well as clean-diesel and fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder
vehicles, all on the rise
Photo
credit: www.hybridcars.com
The
BMW i8 Spyder plug-in hybrid will make its debut at the 2012 Los
Angeles Auto Show.
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LOS
ANGELES -- Green continues to be a dominant shade of innovation
in the automotive sector as 2013 looks to be a banner year for vehicle
efficiency. According to AutoTrader.com, total shopper interest
for alternative fuel and highly fuel-efficient models is up 54 percent
so far in 2012. This year's LA Auto Show® reflects this trend
and will host significant debuts in electric, hybrid, clean-diesel
and 40-plus mpg advanced gasoline-powered engines. There will be
two dozen all-electric or plug-in electric models at the Show, at
least a dozen clean-diesel vehicles and nearly 20 vehicles achieving
40-plus mpg with highly advanced four-cylinder gasoline engines.
Automakers are incorporating multiple approaches–even within
a single model line–to reach new benchmarks, and all categories
of vehicles are well represented. Everything from luxury performance
models, such as the BMW i8 Spyder plug-in hybrid to the Chevrolet
Spark micro car are trending green.
"The green technology innovations demonstrated by automakers
around the world continue to attract the attention of the car-buying
public," said Andy Fuzesi, general manager of the LA Auto Show.
"We're excited to be able to provide one of the world's best
stages for manufacturers to display their very latest achievements
that match virtually every budget."
Hybrids
and Electric Vehicles
The race
for the lowest-emission automobile is hottest in the electric, plug-in
hybrid and hybrid categories. During the first six months of 2012,
U.S. hybrid car sales increased 63.5 percent, while the overall
automobile market increased 14.9 percent.
This year's
Show will feature three electric vehicle debuts, including the all
new Fiat 500e. However, it is the number of electric and plug-in
vehicles available to the consumer that has grown most dramatically
in the last few years. New releases at the Show from Ford alone
include the 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, the Fusion Energi
plug-in and the Focus Electric. Honda will have its new Accord plug-in
hybrid, which joins the ranks of existing electrics and plug-ins
from Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Coda, Fisker, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan,
Toyota and Smart.
Clean
Diesel
Once shunned
as a polluting underperformer, diesel is back in a big way. During
the first six months of 2012, clean-diesel automobile sales in the
United States increased 27.5 percent, outpacing the overall auto
market by 12 percent. As clean-diesel technology continues to accelerate,
bringing an increasing number of vehicles to market particularly
with European brands, clean-diesel will give hybrids a run for the
money. Audi is a case in point. The company has expanded its focus
on TDI vehicles and will make some specific news on that front at
this year's LA Auto Show.
Volkswagen
shows equal enthusiasm for modern diesel technology, offering six
turbocharged clean-diesel vehicles, which thanks to advanced engineering
and "greener" fuels, routinely deliver EPA-rated mileage
estimates of over 40 mpg on the highway. Volkswagen's latest diesel
entry slated to debut at the LA Show includes the 2013 Beetle Cabriolet,
which will be available in both diesel and gasoline engine configurations.
Volkswagen is even testing renewable diesel from fuel maker Solazyme
in some of its TDI products.
Mercedes-Benz
continues to expand its clean-diesel offerings in the U.S. with
a plan to bring a total of eight clean-diesel models to the states
by 2014, including the GLK250 BlueTEC, which will be on display
at the Show and in showrooms by Spring 2013. Mercedes-Benz has also
invested heavily in start-stop technology to further improve efficiency.
Nearly 40 percent of its vehicles will have the fuel conserving
feature, which is a 12 percent gain over last year.
Four-cylinder
Forecast
Four-cylinder
gasoline-powered models are also breaking stereotypes. A new generation
of vehicles pairing performance and up-market styling with fuel-sipping
EPA numbers near or over 40 mpg are becoming more prevalent. Four-cylinder
cars once seen as under-powered and underwhelming in design, certainly
do not fit that mold today. New nameplates such as the new Dodge
Dart Aero, which delivers aggressive styling with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder
engine and a six-speed manual transmission, returns 41 mpg on the
highway. Ford's new Fiesta, making its debut at the Show, also delivers
sporty styling combined with excellent fuel economy. In fact, Ford
is offering eight vehicles that deliver 40 mpg or better by year's
end, double the number in 2011. The automaker's fuel-efficient EcoBoost
powertrains have become a company mainstay and make appearances
in vehicles such as the 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium.
More performance-oriented
small cars that still deliver impressive fuel economy are on the
rise including the Fiat 500 Abarth Cabriolet making its debut at
the Show. Featuring aggressive rally styling and a 1.6-liter turbocharged
engine producing 170 lb.-ft. of torque, the vehicle still manages
an EPA rating of 34 mpg highway. Also, Mini will unveil its new
Paceman also boasting both performance and excellent fuel economy.
About
the Los Angeles Auto Show®
As the first
major North American auto show of the season, the 2012 LA Auto Show®
will host some of the industry's most important new vehicle debuts
and set the tone for the rest of the year. Press Days are Nov. 28
and 29 and open Nov. 30–Dec. 9 for the public. To receive
the latest show news and information visit LAautoshow.com
and follow LA Auto Show® on Twitter @LAAutoShow.
Join the Auto Show conversation on Facebook at Facebook.com/LosAngelesAutoShow
and sign up for alerts at LAAutoShow.com.
Source:
LA Auto Show
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Photo
credit: www.thecarconnection.com
The
2013 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid will be on display at the
L.A. Auto Show.
Photo
credit: www.thecarconnection.com
The
2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK250 BlueTEC will be shown in L.A.
this November.
Photo
credit: www.kelleybluebookimages.com
The
Dodge Dart Aero will be introduced at the 2012 Los Angeles
Auto Show.
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