Detroit Auto Show Dr. Jekyll Meets Mr. Hybrid

DETROIT

ANY environmentalist, faced with the blaring soundtracks and flashy unveilings during the press previews of the North American International Auto Show, could be forgiven for thinking he had stepped into a bizarre stage production called “Jekyll and Hyde: The Motown Musical.”

For every earth-hugging citizen like the Mercedes-Benz S300 Bluetec Hybrid or Toyota A-BAT hybrid truck, there was a hard-drinking V-8 pickup or a sinister sports car out to murder your m.p.g. Those dueling automotive natures were much in evidence at this year’s show, which opened to the public Saturday and runs through Jan. 27.

Ford and Dodge pulled the plus-size wrappers off their respective F-150 and Ram pickups. Designed to compete against the equally big boys from General Motors, Toyota and Nissan, the trucks will also battle a sales climate that has turned chilly for thirsty trucks and S.U.V.’s.

Toyota announced that it planned to develop a plug-in version of its Prius hybrid sedan by 2010, setting up a challenge to G.M. and its plans to market the plug-in Chevrolet Volt. But Toyota also showed a new roadster version of last year’s 200-mile-an-hour Lexus LF-A supercar concept, whose gasoline V-10 kicks out more than 500 horsepower.

Robert A. Lutz, G.M.’s vice chairman, whose own public conversion into a supporter of hybrids and electric vehicles mirrors his company’s, managed to plug together the industry’s continuing disconnect between fuel economy and horsepower.

“The analogy I like to use is that, at the height of the vegetarian craze, the grocery stores are still stocked with New York steaks,” Mr. Lutz said.

For G.M., the bloody red meat included the heart-palpitating Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, a 620-horsepower, 0,000 sports car, and the 550-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V sport sedan. Apparently representing the vegan team were the Saturn Vue Green Line two-mode hybrid and its plug-in hybrid sibling, along with the Saturn Flextreme hybrid concept car and hydrogen-powered Cadillac Provoq concept.

The ongoing mashup of the S.U.V. continued with multiple unveilings of crossover models that blended features of sport utilities, pickups, station wagons, even coupes and sports cars.

Some, like the Toyota Venza crossover wagon that goes on sale late this year, seemed to strike at the heart of the market. Others, like the BMW X6, which highlighted an S.U.V. design trend toward stylishly sloping roofs that can impinge on passenger or cargo space, will seek buyers who are willing to trade practicality for looks.

Five Chinese automakers displayed their wares in Detroit, four more than last year. And while analysts expect China to modernize its car industry in much less time than it took Japan and Korea, the quaint models they showed — none certified to American emissions or safety standards, let alone the minimum requirements of picky consumers — proved that they have miles to go.

International auto intrigue aside, the Detroit show seemed particularly strong this year in both the breadth and depth of its offerings, from intriguing design studies to eagerly awaited production models.

These were among the future showroom models spotlighted in Detroit:

FORD F-150 America’s best-selling vehicle for 26 years, the F-Series pickup is Ford’s biggest remaining franchise, but it’s no longer impregnable. To keep rivals in its mirrors, Ford introduced a 2009 F-150 so macho it could make Stanley Kowalski tremble. The pickup features familiar 4.6-liter and 5.4-liter V-8s, with F-150 diesel and turbo V-6 options arriving in 2010.

CORVETTE ZR1 If a 0,000 Corvette sounds expensive, consider that the ZR1 is designed to meet or beat Ferraris and other supercars at double or triple the price, even with its cheesy see-through hood panel. The 620-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8 revealed beneath the hood can propel the ZR1 to a top speed of more than 200 m.p.h.

DODGE RAM Accompanied by 120 Texas Longhorns outside Cobo Center, the Dodge Ram rolled into public view with familiar cowpoke styling, but more city-slicker features. Dodge’s first-ever pickup with a so-called crew-size cab — it steals inches from the bed to expand the back seat — uses a coil-spring suspension to improve ride and handling. A more muscular Hemi V-8 pumps out 380 horsepower; Hemi Hybrids and higher-mileage diesels are coming in 2010.

TOYOTA VENZA On sale late this year, the Venza is a “crossover sedan” in Toyota parlance. Which is to say it looks like an Avalon turned into a station wagon.

HYUNDAI GENESIS Hyundai continues its brave march into unfamiliar sales territory with the full-size Genesis luxury sedan. The Genesis will get 3.5-liter and 3.8-liter V-6 engines as well as a 4.6-liter V-8, Hyundai’s first, that makes 375 horsepower. The starting price is likely to be about ,000.