Green tech continues to dominate major auto shows, but at L.A., the theme is hybrids with heftWill the eco-trendiness that has made a sales star of Toyota Motor's (TM) gas-electric Prius brush off on mega-trucks and behemoth SUVs? That's what automakers are asking with a raft of new super-sized hybrids at this year's L.A. Auto Show, which opens to the public on Nov. 16 and runs until Nov. 25.
The Chrysler Group introduced two new mega-hybrids, the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango, both odd combinations that merge gas-electric power with impressive capabilities like an optional 385 horsepower engine and a 6,000 pound towing capacity. General Motors (GM) unveiled a surprise full-sized hybrid pickup truck, the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid. It's also touting its hybrid version of the glitzy Cadillac Escalade, which it unveiled at the South Florida Auto Show earlier this month. And, Porsche made a light-bathed spectacle of its hybrid Cayenne SUV's North American debut.
But even in the heart of the country's largest market for hybrid cars, there's little evidence that consumers will take to the hulking vehicles the way they have to Toyota's flagship gas-electric. Sales of that Lilliputian model are up a whopping 41% for the first 10 months of the year, to 137,114 units, compared with the same period in 2006.
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