Conventional Engines Still Going Strong at Paris Motor Show

But First Snide's Remarks; MPG is a code word for screw Americans "let them keep using gasoline"...if we were all using domestic, sustainable and green, High-test Flex-fuel (e-85),CNG, Propane, BioDiesel or even a Flux Capacitor, MPG would become just a personal economic choice, not a "sky is falling" national tragedy. It's not the MPG but what fuel a car or truck uses.

Washington DC October 1, 2010; The AIADA newsletter reported that hybrids and electric cars may get top billing. But at the Paris Motor Show, conventional engines are showing they have plenty of mileage left.

The Detroit News reports that new gas and diesel models have carbon emissions very close to leading hybrids, and there's nothing old-fashioned about their small, highly efficient internal combustion technology.

A diesel-powered Ford Fiesta and a Fiat 500 subcompact outfitted with a new two-cylinder MultiAir engine were among the conventional powertrains on display that boasted emissions very close to market-leading hybrids.

Hybrids and electrics are still not driving automotive industry profits nor have they grabbed any serious market share in years of being ballyhooed as the way ahead. In fact, automakers from Fiat to Ford are looking to squeeze as much efficiency as possible out of conventional engines before making major forays into hybrid and electric engines.

Even Toyota, the industry leader in hybrid vehicles with 13 years on the road, keeps a sharp focus on the conventional engine for obvious reasons: the more efficient the gasoline-powered component of the hybrid, the more efficient the hybrid.