Carmakers bring on the green

BEIJING, April 26 -- Aware of shrinking energy resources and emission reduction pressure, nearly all automakers attending the 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition brought their latest green technologies.

Automakers interviewed Friday by the Global Times including Toyota, General Motors, Ford and Daimler believe electric vehicles will most likely dominate the future auto market. Yet due to uncertainties and technical obstacles, they will stay focused mainly on technologies based on traditional internal combustion engines, hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

"One thing for sure is that a new energy will replace oil. And we believe electric energy and fuel cells will be the most promising," Toyota Motor (China) Investment president Masahiro Kato told the Global Times.

"Yet it's hard to foretell when the time will come, and there must be a transitional period to go from internal combustion to electrification," he said.

Kato said it will take quite a long time to produce electric vehicles with light batteries and performance and driving range comparable to internal combustion cars.

Toyota's concept new energy vehicle lineup includes the FT-CH compact hybrid, making its Asia Pacific debut, the FT-EV II electric vehicle with a newly developed motor and lithium-ion battery, making its Chinese debut, and the Prius plug-in hybrid, also making its Chinese debut.