Greenest Cars at the 2008 L.A. Auto Show

Greenest Cars at the 2008 L.A. Auto Show

Palm trees, sunny beaches, beautiful women in bikinis...L.A. certainly has a reputation. Throw in the most polluted air and, subsequently, the strictest emissions standards in the country, and the picture is complete. So it's not surprising that many manufacturers used the 2008 L.A. Auto Show to introduce their green technology, both in production and concept forms.

And boy, was the L.A. Auto Show green. Hybrids abounded. There was Ford with the Fusion and Milan hybrids, promising better fuel economy than the Toyota Camry hybrid. There was the Honda Insight Concept, which everyone knows is a thinly-disguised preview of the production car that's coming soon. Then the BMW 7 Series and X6 Active Hybrids, both of which preview production cars that will be on sale sometime next year. Don't forget the Hyundai Sonata hybrid or the 2010 Lexus RX 450h hybrid.

Then there's diesel, which was entirely Audi and Volkswagen territory. Audi introduced the U.S. version of the Q5, and announced that it will be available with a 3.0-liter V-6 TDI engine. That same powertrain will be in the larger Audi Q7 and, on the Volkswagen side of things, the Touareg V-6 TDI. Fuel cells are still a figment of the future for the most part, but Kia, Honda and Hyundai all brought concepts in the form of the Borrego FCEV, FC Sport and Tuscon FCEV, respectively.

2010 Mini E

Honda Insight Concept

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

2010 Lexus RX 450h

BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid Concept

BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Concept

2009 Volkswagen Touareg V-6 TDI

Honda CR-Z Concept

Honda FC Sport Concept

Hyundai Tucson FCEV Concept

2009 Audi Q5 TDI

2009 Audi Q7 TDI

2011 Chevrolet Volt

Kia Borrego FCEV Concept

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