AS MEMBERS of Congress debate a bailout for the beleaguered Detroit-based car industry this week, a very different scene will unfold across the continent tomorrow at the Los Angeles auto show.
Seeking to capitalise on one of this year's rare success stories in the US car industry. BMW's Mini subsidiary will unveil an electric version of its sporty small car. The initial production run will be small.
Mini is looking for 500 people in California, New York and New Jersey, willing to pay $850 (€670) a month to lease one of the new electric models. It expects the cars to be on the road in early 2009.US sales of the conventional, petrol-driven Mini jumped by almost a third in the first 10 months of this year, including a 56 per cent surge in October, compared with a year earlier. The increase is partly due to the introduction of the Clubman, a stretched version akin to a small station wagon.
By contrast, demand for Toyota's Camry sedan, the US's top-selling car for the past decade, has posted a 3.2 per cent drop. Discounts and other incentives on the Mini are among the lowest of any brand.
"Mini has been one of the most successful new car launches of the past decade," says Angus MacKenzie, editor of Motor Trend, a car enthusiast magazine.
Electricity has emerged over the past year as major carmakers' most favoured alternative to the internal-combustion engine. Ford Motor will also unveil a hybrid petrol-electric version of its Fusion mid-sized car in Los Angeles.The Detroit carmaker promises the new Fusion's fuel consumption will be better than the Camry hybrid because it can run at least five miles per gallon better than it because it can run at higher speeds on battery power.
Toyota plans to show a new version of its Prius, currently the top-selling hybrid, at the Detroit show in January. General Motors has vowed that, in spite of drastic cost-cutting, it is pressing ahead at full steam with development of the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.
All-electric cars, such as those being developed by California-based Tesla Motors and Norway's Think Global, have had mixed fortunes. Production of the Tesla Roadster has been dogged by delays and the company announced last month that its finances were at a "critical phase".
The car frame will be built at the Mini plant near Oxford, England, then shipped to a BMW facility in Munch for installation of the battery and powertrain. Unlike hybrids, whose batteries can be recharged while the car is in motion, it can be recharged only by plugging it into an electric outlet.
Over 10,000 people have so far expressed interest in the electric model on the Mini website. A new site, due to go live tomorrow, will vet applicants closely to ensure that they are not at risk of being stranded with a dead battery.
As MacKenzie notes "this car is meant to be seen in Manhattan and Los Angeles".