Pimp My Hybrid

By Mike Schuster Jan 16, 2009 10:00 am

Five fuel-efficient stars of the North American Auto Show.

The 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit carried an air of restraint as the crowd did its level best to ignore the elephant in the room - the industry's 18% drop in sales and a stay of execution for General Motors (GM) and Chrysler in the form of a federal bailout.

But that 's not to say there wasn't anything to be excited about. In fact, innovation took center stage as carmakers -- especially domestic ones -- embraced the not-too-distant future with a host of fuel-efficient and zero-emission vehicles. For those of you who couldn't make it to Motor City, here are 5 that had crowds doing a double take.