Detroit Autoshow 2010: Top 10 Best of Show!

Green is everywhere this year at the Motor City’s NAIAS. A sea of hybrids and electric vehicles has flooded the entire show floor — and every single manufacturer is responsible. This overflow of fuel-efficient automobiles promises big things for the future of mobility.

In retrospect, Auto123.com’s "Best of Show" from Detroit perfectly illustrates that trend. Here are the top 10 stars in alphabetical order:

1) Audi e-tron

Audi executives claim that the "e-tron" name, which will soon designate the brand’s electric vehicles, will become as widely recognized as "quattro" in just a few years. In the meantime, they showcased a second e-tron prototype in the form of a TT-sized two-seater with a pair of 150-kW lithium-ion batteries. The available range is 250 kilometres in optimum conditions. The chassis is made of aluminum, just like the body panels, except for the doors, hood and trunk lid (carbon fibre). With 0-100 km/h times of under 6 seconds, this mean green machine obviously idolizes the R8 supercar.

Will it go into production? Probably, although expect a more "civilized" variant.

2) BMW ActiveE

Disguised as a stylish 1-Series coupe, the ActiveE concept uses an electric drive system delivering 170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque as soon as you dip the throttle. The car sprints from 0 to 60 km/h in 4.5 seconds and from 0 to 100 in less than 9 seconds. Only three hours are needed for a full charge of the lithium-ion battery, which provides a range of up to 160 kilometres (in gentle driving, of course).

Will it go into production? Later this year, select BMW customers will take delivery of pre-production models for evaluation purposes. By 2015, a first production electric car will hit the market.