"绿色"环保汽车逐渐成为新宠

轿车对于现代人来说已经成为一种必不可少的交通工具。如今全球科技劲吹“绿色”风，汽车制造商岂能等闲视之？“绿色牌”和“清凉风”将在今年车市愈演愈烈。

Cars have become an necessity for most people. But as the world turns to more green technologies, so too do the car manufacturers.

From the sleek Jaguar XJ equipped with a new twin turbo-engine to the Volvo Hybrid, one word is dominating car-making conceptions. Green.

Richard Headland is the editor of a car magazine.

"Well I think the emerging trend in 2010 is going to be a continued move towards environmentally friendly cars. So the big focus right now is on miles per gallon and CO2, and if you go to all the big car shows now, they're the words that dominate."

Renowned Japanese brand Toyota, is also a supporter of the environmentally friendly ride. Hi-CT is its latest hybrid concept car, standing for "high-ride city truck".

Another hybrid vehicle is Saturn Vue. It uses a combination of GM's two-mode system, plug-in technology, and a lithium-ion battery pack.

Richard Headland says hybrids are the new trend for 2010.

"I think what we may see in 2010, towards the end of the year, is the first diesel hybrid car. And of course marrying the fuel efficiency of a diesel car with hybrid technology means you should be able to get cars that are capable of well over 80 to the gallon."

Luxury car makers are also looking at ways to make their product greener.

German auto maker Porsche is launching its all-new hybrid, powered by a direct-injection supercharged 3-liter engine, and a single electric motor. Japan's Lexus also displayed a new model at the 2009 Geneva car show.

Richard Headland says:

"I think what we're going to see with the luxury car market is more and more luxury hybrids. So Lexus for example already has several luxury hybrids, BMW is working on its first luxury hybrid, Mercedes as well. So I think when they come in it's going to make luxury cars that bit more affordable to run, and that's obviously going to be good news for luxury car buyers."

As one of the world's largest car manufacturers, China's growing auto industry is sure to affect the global market.

The scale of the 2009 Guangzhou car show has already surprised both auto makers and buyers.

Yasuaki Hashimoto is the president of Nissan China Investment.

"China market has a big potential because China's modernization has just started. I think China will be the biggest market in the world very soon."

Decades ago, the US was called the "nation on wheels". Now many countries have a high car possession rates.

But how to integrate car-ownership and environmental protection still remains a tricky question for both car makers and car users.