Automakers will display their finest to the public this Saturday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Everything from exclusive Aston Martins to suburban minivans will be put on display in hopes of catching the eyes of future car buyers.

The expectations of General Motors Corp. lie in the presentation of plans for hybrid vehicles, which draw power from both an electric and traditional fuel source. GM has announced that it will offer the hybrid engines for sports utility vehicles, trucks and sedans in the approaching years. While GM is leading the domestic auto industry in this latest technology, Toyota and Honda have both already introduced hybrids into the United States market. Toyota's Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid are exciting vehicles for sale domestically. Honda has even taken the lead in more advanced technology. In December, the city of Los Angeles purchased Honda's fuel cell car, the FCX, for municipal use. To bring the latest advances and the safest vehicles to the industry, the Big Three automobile manufacturers - Ford, Chrysler and GM - need to pick up the pace in the promising new market for hybrid vehicles.

Business competition from overseas is not the only prompt for the Big Three to introduce hybrids, which are more environmentally sound and fuel-efficient. In 1990, California began its Low-Emission Vehicle Program, which required all vehicles in the state to be checked and approved for low emissions. California tightened these laws in 1994, requiring automobile companies to build more environmentally-friendly automobiles by 2004. Under the Federal Clean-Fuel Vehicle tax deduction, individuals who purchase hybrids receive a $2,000 tax-credit.

The Big Three should be leading the auto industry in cleaner cars instead by stimulating consumer demand for hybrid vehicles. While GM should be commended for its efforts to improve the popularity of hybrid vehicles, it is sending mixed signals to its consumers regarding the newest trends in the automobile industry. The hybrid announcement is coupled with the debut of a 16-cylinder Cadillac on the GM floor at the auto show this year. Instead of putting bigger engines in the spotlight, and whetting consumers' appetites in the process, GM should be focusing on marketing efforts to make hybrid vehicles more appealing and a first choice for consumers; in fact, consumers can save an average of $5,500 in gasoline expenses over the life of the vehicle. The auto show provides the most opportune forum for marketing hybrids and getting consumers excited about the vehicles' cutting-edge innovation.

Automakers could not only work on cleaning the environment themselves, but the mass production of hybrid cars could even spark a new revolution of environmental awareness. Automakers working with environmentalists would provide cleaner air and thus fewer protests. Automakers should allocate more funds for use in research and development of high-performing cars that utilize alternative fuels and less on producing maximum-cylinder engines. The light of environmental awareness is green and the Big Three need to step on it.