Increased fuel efficiency on display in Detroit

With gasoline priced at more than $3 a gallon, automakers touted the higher mpg rating of their cars — even the Corvette — at this year's Detroit auto show. Check out some of the cars that the companies had on display.

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BMW i8

The concept sports car, which has a plug-in hybrid engine, can travel up to 20 miles just on electric power, BMW says. But speed demons need not worry: the car also has the horses to drive it from zero to 60 in less than five seconds.

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images

Ford Focus EV

Ford, which already offers a variety of hybrid powered vehicles, is also offering an all-electric version of its Focus compact car. Ford says its lithium-ion battery system provides the car a 76 mile range on a single charge. But with no gasoline backup, drivers will have to keep an eye on their odometers.

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images

Corvette

Okay, snicker if you want, but General Motors claims that the 2014 Corvette — shown here with from left, GM Vice President Global Design Ed Welburn, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter and GM President North America Mark Reuss — will be the most fuel-efficient model ever, exceeding the EPA-estimated 26 mpg of the current model. But if you can afford a $54,000, 450-horsepower car that can go zero to 60 in less than four seconds, do you really worry that much about the price of gas?

/ General Motors via Reuters

Chevrolet Spark EV

A man photographs a cutaway body of a Chevrolet Spark EV electric car. The mini car can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 8 seconds. The Spark EV, which sports a lithium-ion battery, can be plugged "into a standard household 120V outlet," Chevrolet says. Door appear to be optional.

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images

Smart Forstars

The all-electric concept car has a lithium-ion battery and a 60 kilowatt electric motor. The concept car features a video projector built into hood so that movie lovers can watch their favorite flicks from their connected iPhone if they find a blank wall. Forstars: Get it?

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images

XTRUX

Alan Perriton, chief operations officer for Via Motors, poses with the XTRUX, one of the company's hybrid pickup truck. Loosely based on the 2013 Chevy Silverado, the truck uses a 5.3 liter Chevy V-8 to power a range-extending generator that supplies power to dual electric motors that give the pickup an equivalent fuel efficiency of 100 miles per gallon and a whopping 800 horsepower. No wonder they use all capital letters to spell its name.

James Fassinger / Reuters

Trumpchi GS5

China’s Guangzhou Automobile Group shows off its all-electric Trumpchi GS5 sport-utility concept vehicle, which has a 100-mile range with a 200 horsepower engine that powers the car from zero to 60 in 8.5 seconds.

Carlos Osorio / AP

NEV E-JET

Guangzhou Automobile Group also brought along its NEV E-JET sports coupe concept, which can get to 50 mph in about 4.5 seconds. The car can go 60 miles on a single charge before a one horsepower engine kicks in to recharge the battery, pushing the range up to 410 miles. Combined with the Trumpchi GS5, Guangzhou Automobile Group may be trying to address China’s smog problem that everyone is talking about.

Rebecca Cook / Reuters

Nissan Resonance

The Nissan Resonance crossover concept combines its hybrid-electric engine to a body design that makes it a real ringer.

Bill Pugliano / Getty Images

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