Carmakers consider green technologies as fuel price go up

PanARMENIAN.Net - Just when carmakers thought it safe to roll out new models in the wake of the economic crisis - 170 premiers are advertised for the Geneva Auto Show opening this week - a spike in fuel prices has cast a new shadow over the industry and redoubled attention on green technologies.

Ford Motor Co. said it is boosting its offering of low-emissions technologies and will have five alternative powertrains to market in Europe by 2013. Stephen Odell, the chief of Ford Europe, told reporters that the new powertrains will include hybrid, pure electric and plug-in hybrid technologies.

Fuel prices, driven sharply higher in the past month by tensions in the Middle East, have raised worries that consumers may shy away again from buying a new vehicle.

"With our capabilities in regular combustion engines and with five electric vehicles in production we are well placed," Odell said.

Although most carmakers are showing upbeat signs of recovery, the key theme at the auto show, as during the financial crisis years, will once again be fuel efficiency.

Rolls Royce's one-off electric-powered Phantom luxury sedan could give electric the kind of upscale appeal it so far lacks. The concept car is to be unveiled Tuesday, though at the moment there are no plans to put the car into full production, the carmaker said.

BMW, which owns Rolls Royce, also is launching its latest ActiveE electric concept car in Geneva.

As for hybrids, BMW and PSA Peugeot announced on the eve of the auto show that they would invest euro100 million ($138 million) in a joint venture to build hybrid components from 2014. Their goal is to create an open European platform for hybrid technologies, which PSA Peugeot Citroen CEO Philippe Varin said the joint venture also would enable development of electric powertrains.

Volkswagen presented a luxury hybrid for its Porsche brand, the Panamera S. The car boasts carbon emissions of 159 grams per kilogram and consumption of 6.8 liters per 100 kilometers.

There will be a particular focus on engine downsizing, an industry term for squeezing more power out of small engines. Nissan will be showcasing a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine in the Nissan Micar DIG-S that is touted as having the same power as a 1.5 liter four-cylinder model. Fiat has done similar work with the Twin Air engine in the Fiat 500, The Associated Press reported.