What will you be driving in 10 years?

By Frederick J. Staab

updated 3:52 p.m. ET June 22, 2006

This year, Paris played host to the eighth annual Michelin Challenge Bibendum, a gathering of auto manufacturers, researchers, inventors, and free thinkers from all over the globe to explore the idea of "Sustainable Mobility." In other words, how can humans transport themselves in an earth-friendly fashion as the oil supply slows to a trickle?

But as I was standing on the Champ de Mars in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, the most important thing on my mind was finding a way to escape the sweltering June heat. Appropriately enough, help arrived in the form of an air-conditioned Saturn VUE hybrid that was being displayed at the Challenge.

I introduced myself to the driver, Steven Tarnowsky, who it turns out is the assistant chief engineer for Saturn's Green Line hybrid VUE. Within minutes I was cooling off in the front seat as I agreed to accompany Tarnowsky on the 60 kilometer (38 mile) drive to the CERAM (Montefontaine Automobile Test & Research Center) test track. Thankfully, he did turn-by-turn navigation during the leg of the rally. By the way, the 2007 Green Line gets 30 miles per gallon plus on the highway and costs about $23,000, making it the least expensive, highest-mileage, compact hybrid SUV.

However, because of heavy Parisian traffic, what should have taken only one hour dragged into two. I had plenty of time to think about the vehicles and trends I had observed over the past two days of the Challenge Bibendum. It's impossible to predict what we will be driving in the future, perhaps it will be a hybrid, a clean diesel, a fuel cell, or something we have yet to discover. One thing is for certain, though, the next 10 years to 15 years will change what we drive more dramatically than anything we have experienced during the past 50 years of automotive history.

Currently, green-thinking motorists and celebrities in the U.S. market tend toward gas/electric hybrids. They would not have been disappointed by the technology at this year's event. Citroën, Ford, and others showed mild- or micro-hybrids that use start/stop engine technology to shut down at stop lights. It is a less expensive solution to reducing emissions and fuel consumption.

CARS OF THE FUTURE Click on the links below to see some of the stars of the Paris show BionicCar2 ZOOOP electric General Motors Zafira HydroGen3 1.0-liter electric Audi diesel race car Rotarex roadster Smart For-Two Nissan X-Trail FCV DaimlerChrysler F-cells Natural gas-powered garbage truck Citroën C2 The Bulle Michelin HY-Light Peugeot Citroën's 307 diesel hybrid Volvo multi-fuel wagon

Owning a factory-built Toyota Prius may no longer make you the greenest person on your block unless it is equipped with a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) kit. For about $10,000, Amberjac Projects, a Lincolnshire company, will trick out your Prius by adding a larger, higher-technology battery and a power connector that allows you to plug the Toyota to your home's electrical source. The idea is the nine-hour recharge time will take place during the evening hours using reduced-rate power.

The results produce 130 mpg compared with 50 mpg for the stock model, and most of our time on the road course was spent in the 100-mpg-plus range. You can also travel 35 miles on full electric power, so on some local errand runs your gas engine may never start. Plans for the Lexus RX400h are under way, with the Lexus GS450h and the Ford Escape hybrid to soon follow. While it will take some time to financially recoup the additional $10,000 — on top of the Prius purchase price (which has an MSRP in the U.S. of $21,725) — the Amberjac conversion may be the ultimate environmental feel-good option.

Multifueled cars made up a big part of the Challenge Bibendum rally fleet. Many manufacturers exhibited E85 and natural gas-powered cars; there was even a compressed natural gas garbage truck. Volvo showed its Multi-Fuel V70 wagon that can burn up to five different fuels including Hythane. For the uninitiated, that's 10 percent hydrogen and 90 percent methane. (To learn more about Volvo's concept, click here.) Hmm, bet that smells special!

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