Auto shows: The sleek and unique with a futuristic peek

Mercedes-Benz presented this fanciful vehicle, saying it offered the fun of a motorcycle and the safety of a car

December 28, 1997
Web posted at: 11:11 p.m. EST (0411 GMT)

From Reporter Kevin Smith

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- On the auto show floor, some vehicles are sleek, others unique. Some are cool, while others use new fuel. Some are the vehicles of today, but others are just a vision for tomorrow.

As the new year begins, automotive manufacturers are trying to create excitement in their wares with auto shows in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

And taking center stage are cars that use alternative fuels and create less pollution -- despite the fact that General Motors' much-touted electric car, the EV-1, had disappointing sales in its first year.

CNN Reporter Kevin Smith gives us a sneak peek at some of tomorrow's car designs 2 min. VXtreme video

"Obviously, not everyone on the block is going to have an electric vehicle quite yet," says Andy Fuzesi, general manager of the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. "But if you think (back) 15 years ago, not everybody had a computer, either. And now look how that's changed."

Indeed, in a sign of the high hopes auto manufacturers have for these vehicles, the Ford Ranger -- the best-selling vehicle in the United States last year -- now comes in an electric version. And Toyota put its new Prius on display at the auto show -- a hybrid car already on sale in Japan that can run on either electricity or gasoline.

However, many of the models on display at these auto shows are designed with fun, rather than social responsibility, in mind. Manufacturers hope concept cars -- such as a three-wheeled baby from Mercedes Benz that looks like a cross between a motorcycle and a car -- will capture the imaginations of car lovers.

In recent years, U.S. automakers have improved their market share, largely at the expense of Japanese companies. But the recent financial crisis in Asia could help put that trend in reverse.

That's because the U.S. dollar now has more buying power against the currencies of Japan and Korea, which means vehicles imported from those countries could be less expensive for American consumers.

Still, that advantage wouldn't apply to Asian vehicles that are made in the United States. Toyota, Honda, Nissan and other international manufacturers now make many of the cars they sell in the United States domestically, which could mitigate the benefit for buyers.

Related sites:

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• The 1998 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show
• General Motors
• Ford Motor Company
• Toyota
• Mercedes Benz
• Honda Motor Conpany
• Nissan USA

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