Green Rides Rule Geneva Auto Show

Between faltering sales and safety recalls, the global auto industry has figured prominently in news coverage over the past several months. To say that it's not been entirely good news is to indulge in a bit of sugar-coating. If there's an upside, it may be that our collective attention is fully engaged and as a result, car makers are rising to the occasion of our vigilance with fast response to the mere hint of a problem. Today's news courtesy of the New York Times brings word that Nissan announced a recall of more than half a million 2008 to 2010 model year vehicles, mostly in the US, and mostly due to faulty fuel gauges, but a significant percentage of which stem from problems with pins in the brake pedal.

We're certain that Nissan would much rather be focusing entirely on new product offerings being unveiled at the 80th Annual Geneva Motor Show. The world's car manufacturers have descended upon the Swiss city for one of the industry's premiere events and, as things get underway, what's big this year is what is small. And green.

As for Nissan, among their new offerings is a model that puts the efficiency-evoking smallness right in the model name. The Nissan Micra, sold in Europe and Asia, could eventually make its way to the US to fulfill the company's stated goal of offering something to the US market even smaller than its Versa subcompact.

EarthTechling.com characterizes the 2010 event as a "green car lover nirvana," with all manner of electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and alternative fuel vehicles appearing on the convention floor in everything from drive-it-away to far-flung-concept condition.

In addition, it seems that pretty much everyone in the industry is on board: Ford, who has been an early US green car adopter has five eco-friendly models at the show. But there are some surprising green tech offerings, for example from the likes of a smoking hot plug-in hybrid from luxury-performance brand Porsche. And check this offering (the all-electric Survolt) from French manufacturer Citroen, and let's hope that the US will have the chance to become more familiar with this manufacturer. Is green hot and sexy or what?

But as Wired, Irish Times and other industry-watchers report, all eyes seem to be on Audi. Of course, having Justin Timberlake on hand to introduce their new model can't hurt. Their new A1 for which Timberlake has been retained as brand ambassador is positioned to go after BMW-owned Mini Cooper, reflecting an ongoing industry shift away from gas-guzzling behemoth SUVs to rides that are small and sensible, yet sleek and sporty at the same time.

Photo by Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz via Wikimedia Commons.