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Apr 17, 2008 8:59 pm US/Eastern
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Fuel Efficient Cars Popular At Auto Show
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
With gas prices at record highs, it's no surprise that many people have green on their minds, both for saving at the pumps and for the environment.
Some of the latest options for car buyers are on display this weekend at the Pittsburgh Auto Show.
There is a lot of flash at the Auto Show, but if you're in the market for a car, you're probably more worried about saving cash at the pumps.
The buzz word this year - small.
"Sales of the Focus are up significantly, this year, I think over 40 percent," Ford Motor Company worker Mark Schirmer said. "And the reason is it's a very fuel efficient car."
Across the country, dealers are seeing more people switch to more fuel-efficient cars. The more miles per gallon the better, so much so that Ford's ramped up production of their compact Focus which tops 35 miles per gallon on the highway.
Over the past few years, hybrid technology has been a draw on car lots across the country, and one of the top brands is Toyota's Prius.
The Prius is a big seller and there have been waiting lists at dealers because it gets 48 miles in the city, 45 miles on the highway.
A car that doesn't use hybrid technology, such as the Camry, gets 33mpg in the city and 34mpg on the highway, which is still nice savings.
In the end, it depends on what you're driving and where you're going to realize what kind of savings you can find.
Hybrid cars might be the best solution in the city because it can run fully on electricity when the engine is off. On a highway, the hybrid actually doesn't get you very much more because of a certain speed the regular internal combustion engine, the gasoline, has to run to keep the car going.
Over at General Motors, there is a new green company mantra.
"Gas friendly to gas free, is what we like to say, gas friendly to gas free," General Motors worker Scott Settlemire said.
With hybrid versions of the Malibu and the Tahoe winning national awards, Chevy is emphasizing hybrids and fuel cells.
By 2010, dealers should be carrying the Volt, which could run 40 miles on electricity alone.
"We have a small engine in here, and all that engine does it can run on E85, diesel, it could even be a fuel cell. We'll recharge the battery so that the electric motor still drive the vehicle," Settlemire said.
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