Hasta La Gadget!

DETROIT – Who says great technology has to be expensive? Porsche, for one. This hybrid racecar prototype unveiled at the North American International Auto Show uses a flywheel accumulator spinning at up to 36,000 rpm to store energy from deceleration more efficiently than generator and battery would. The driver can unleash up to eight seconds of boost to front-wheel electric motors and increase horsepower from 563 hp (V8 engine alone) to 767 hp (combined). Its road-going cousin, the 918 Spyder concept, might be Porsche’s next supercar, priced on the high side of $500,000.

DETROIT –  Ford is betting big on a new series of small cars, hybrid cars, and crossovers based on a common platform in what is called the C segment, meaning compact cars about 180 inches long. The backbone is the Ford Focus sedan, unveiled as a gasoline car, as an electric car at the Consumer Electronics Show, then as a plug-in hybrid here. Plus (also in Detroit) a gasoline C-Max crossover, a C-Max Hybrid, and a C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, and a funky crossover called the Ford Vetrek (photo above) that should be a replacement for the stodgy 2001-2011 Ford Escape.

DETROIT – More driver assistance and infotainment technology make the reskinned 3011 Chrysler 300 an even more interesting part of the Chrysler line-up. Most important is the Safety Tec group that can include adaptive cruise control with collision warning, front and rear parking sonar, blind spot detection with rear cross path detection (when backing), and steerable xenon lighting. The UConnect Touch infotainment displays comprises a touchscreen radio with an 8.4-inch LCD and (some models) Garmin navigation.

The ugly duckling turns into a swan, the librarian whips off her glasses and she’s Kate Beckinsdale, and a forgettable truckish SUV becomes the 2011 Kia Sorento compact crossover with all the right core technology. Bluetooth, an iPod adapter, and satellite radio come standard. The Sorento belongs on the short list of affordable CUVs you should consider for safety and value as well, even if UVO, Kia’s Ford Sync competitor, remains delayed on the Sorento. 

General Motors was busy making a big splash in the parking lot outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center this week, marking the North American debut of the EN-V–the Electric Networked Vehicle–a diminutive electric car the company thinks will lead the way for autos in the coming years.

The vehicle really is the polar opposite of the manner of sports utility vehicles that were all the rage, not so long ago. Six of these cars can fit into on standard American parking space. The two-seater is essentially built around a Segway–a two-wheeled gyroscopic mobility device. The vehicle can also detect obstacles in its way, including people and other cars.

GM showed off three different models at this week’s show (the vehicles will be on display again at the North American Auto Show). You can see two of them in action the video after the jump.