Buzz building as Detroit auto show nears

Jan. 10, 2009 12:07 AM PT

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Despite the current economic mess, carmakers will still compete for the world’s attention at the Detroit auto show starting Sunday. As the official Motown news conferences grow nearer, the hints about what automakers will be unveiling are becoming stronger.

Here are some of the more notable product announcements expected:

China’s first hybrid: the incoherently named BYD F3DM sedan
BYD is the auto company name, F3DM is the car. The company, known in China as a provider of cellphone batteries, has partnered with the Des Moines company MidAmerican Energy Holdings to create what they call an “advanced Fe lithium-iron battery and its new Dual Mode (DM) plug-in hybrid system.” What this appears to mean is that BYD will beat Toyota and Honda to the punch by being the first to announce a mass-production hybrid that can be driven in either battery-only or hybrid mode, as selected by the driver. We’ll reserve judgment until after next week to find out what Toyota and Honda have baked into their new hybrid offerings. It is, however, China’s first mass-produced electric hybrid vehicle and will retail for 149,800 yuan ($21,200). It’s expected to make its way to the U.S. in 2010.

Toyota’s FT-EV: more information released
Bloomberg is reporting more on Toyota’s secretive electric-vehicle debut. It’s tiny, it’s battery-powered and it can be recharged at electrical outlets. The concept version of the FT-EV “urban commuter” car will make its debut at the Detroit show Monday, and it’s a modified version of the iQ mini-car that was originally shown at the Geneva Auto Show in 2007 (shown here). Real photos will come Monday and no doubt more details, but it has been reported that the vehicle will have a range of 50 miles and will go on sale in 2012.

The Beat -- GM’s mini-car -- gets teased on the ‘Today’ show
Although there’s been no official announcement, GM seems to have a production-level mini-car up its sleeve ready for the Detroit show. Product guru Ed Welburn appeared on the ‘Today’ show with Matt Lauer for a Detroit preview this week and lifted only the edge of a car cover. Under it was a recognizable design based on the Beat mini-car, which has been a concept on the auto show circuit for a few years and was being developed in partnership with Daewoo for Asia.

GM has said in the past that the Beat could not pass federal safety requirements for sale in the U.S.; however, that hurdle has apparently been jumped. The name of the car, if GM chooses to keep it the same as the concept, is somewhat controversial because Honda sold a car in the 1990s named the Beat, but only in Japan.

News conferences at the Detroit Auto Show start Sunday and end Tuesday. Stay tuned to UP TO SPEED for updates and debuts.

-- Joni Gray

Buzz building as Detroit auto show nears

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