Auto Shows

The Tokyo Motor Show was a subdued affair this year compared to the glittering gallery of automotive excess it was in past years. But it still offered eye candy and intriguing ideas. Here are a few standouts.

FRANKFURT -- Wandering around the Frankfurt auto show, you might think the electric era of the automobile is at hand.
Virtually every automaker is displaying an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid.
But behind the enthusiasm for green vehicles lies a sharp split in executives' views of the potential of EVs. Some say EVs will be high-volume second cars for busy families. Others say they will be pricey niche players with limited utility.
On one side are conservatives such as Ulrich Hackenberg, Volkswagen AG management board member for

Here is a look at some world debuts this month at the New York International Auto Show.

MUNICH -- Volvo has released the first official images of the new S60 sedan.
The Swedish carmaker, which Ford Motor Co. is selling, says the S60 will be “sportier and more dynamic than any previous Volvo car.”
The production S60 is similar to the concept unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January, retaining the same silhouette and sporty yet stylish stance.
The car is particularly close to the concept up front, where the fascia and headlights mimic the eye-catching show car.
The S60 will go into production in Gent,

LOS ANGELES — Kia will replace its best-selling Spectra this summer with the Forte, a slightly bigger and more powerful sedan.
A coupe version of the Forte — Kia's first coupe — will follow in the fall. No hatchback version will be offered in the United States to replace the Spectra hatchback.
The U.S. version of the Forte has not been priced.
The Forte, which debuted in South Korea in August, is 178.3 inches long and 69.9 inches wide, 1.1 inches longer and 1.6 inches wider than the 2009 Spectra. The Forte sits on

The 2010 Detroit auto show will include a 37,000-square-foot exhibit devoted to electric vehicles, organizers announced today.
The exhibit, called Electric Avenue, will be on the main floor of Detroit's Cobo Center. The display will have about 20 vehicles from both conventional automakers and startup companies, a statement said.
The electric-minded presentation will illustrate “the long-term viability of the auto industry using a subject that is top of mind globally these days,” Doug Fox, chairman of the auto show, said in a

ROUEN, France -- PSA/Peugeot-Citroen could delay the introduction of plug-in diesel-electric hybrid cars as it seeks to cut costs during the economic downturn.
Ladimir Prince, manager of PSA's hybrid innovations unit, said the carmaker's plug-in hybrid project "could be delayed by a year or two."
But Prince said the economic crisis will not slow PSA's plans to launch diesel-electric hybrid cars.
Prince said PSA is still working toward launching a diesel-hybrid powertrain in 2011 in the Peugeot 3008 crossover.
He said PSA