Detroit Auto Show Gets off to an Electrifying Start

Jan. 10, 2011— -- Electricity is in the air at the Detroit Auto Show.

Ford showed off four new vehicles including one that is completely electric, and two others that will combine electric power and a gas engine. Today, GM's plug-in hybrid, Volt, won North American Car of the Year. Last month, it was named Motor Trends' Car of the Year.

Meanwhile, foreign automaker Porsche tried to grab the alternative vehicle spotlight from the domestic automakers, by unveiling a hybrid racecar, the 918 RSR, at 6:30am … before the show officially opened for two days of media previews.

Ford revealed three variations of a compact minivan called the C-Max that will go on sale next year: A seven-passenger version that runs on a gas engine, and two five-passenger hybrid versions. Though the company took the wraps off its battery-powered Focus last week, that car was also prominently displayed today in Detroit and may in fact be the star of the show.

The Focus becomes the first mass-produced electric car from a U.S. automaker and with it, says Executive Chairman Bill Ford in an exclusive interview with ABC News, the company has "taken a big bet". Referring to its new, electrified lineup of cars, Ford said "These are very much about signaling where this company is headed and frankly where this country ought to be headed."

To understand what kind of gamble the automaker is taking, consider that electric cars and hybrids combined, have only a 2-and-a-half percent share of the car market in this country, and that number is down from last year. Auto trends forecaster J.D. Power and Associates predicts that share will reach only about 10% by 2020.