General Motors Co. says its stylish new Chevrolet Aveo RS concept car gives a strong indication of where the company is headed when the second-generation subcompact debuts next year. The current model, which is based on the Daewoo Kalos, has been roundly faulted for drab styling and underwhelming performance.

2011 Chevrolet Aveo RS

GM, which aims to replicate the success of the new Malibu, will publicly unveil the show car this week in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show. The five-door concept features a European-inspired “hot hatchback” look designed to appeal to young enthusiasts.

Longer, wider and more spacious than the current Aveo, the Aveo RS sports upscale-looking design cues inside and out. Exposed headlamps and taillights with a brushed-aluminum structural surround are inspired by motorcycles. Adding to the aggressive face are outboard fog lamps integrated into an exaggerated brake-cooling inlet that flows into the front fender flares. At the rear is an integrated spoiler, center-mounted exhaust and chrome exhaust tips.

The motorcycle inspiration continues inside, with a round, analog tachometer set within an asymmetrical LCD readout also trimmed in milled metal with round cutouts. Other features include 19-inch gun metal finish wheels and upgraded brakes.

Power comes from the 138-hp, 1.4-liter Ecotec I-4 turbocharged engine that will be available in the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

GM previously has said it will build the new Aveo at its Orion Township plant.

Ford Motor Co. is launching nine new or re-engineered engines and six new transmissions in North America this year. Some have been announced previously.

Described by company officials as one of Ford’s most ambitious powertrain upgrades ever, the barrage is part of a five-year global initiative that runs through 2013 and aims to overhaul engines and transmissions to boost fuel economy and cut emissions.

The program will cover 60 new or significantly upgraded engines, transmissions and transaxles globally. By the end of 2010, nearly all of Ford’s North American engines will have been upgraded or replaced since 2008.

Ford’s combined car and truck fleet fuel economy rating in the U.S. as calculated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has improved nearly 20% since 2004, which the company describes as almost double the improvement level of any other OEM during that span. The company says carbon dioxide emissions for its 2009 fleet are down about 9% from 2008 levels.

This year’s ramp-up includes new engines and transmissions for the Fiesta small car, all-new Mustang pony car, F-150 pickup truck and its Super Duty big brother. Ford says all affected vehicles are expected to lead their segments in fuel economy.

The new Ford Fiesta will team a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and PowerShift six-speed dual-clutch transmission that is expected to get 40 mpg. This is better than the current Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, Ford notes.

Late this year, Ford’s new 2.0-liter direct-injection EcoBoost engine will bow on the redesigned Focus, marking Ford’s first application of a normally aspirated GDI engine in North America. A new six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission also will be available.

The 2011 Mustang will offer a 305-hp, 3.7-liter V-6, and the Mustang GT will be fitted with a 5.0-liter V-8 that makes 412 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. Both versions of the car offer a choice of six-speed automatic and manual gearboxes. Power for the company’s new Shelby GT 500 will come from a supercharged 5.4-liter V-8.

The 2011 F-150 will use a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged Ecoboost V-6. The engine delivers the power of a V-8 and the fuel economy of a V-6, according to Ford. By 2013, Ford plans to offer EcoBoost engines on 90% of its product lineup with annual volume of vehicles with EcoBoost at 1.3 million globally.

Buyers of new Super Duty pickups can choose between a new 6.2-liter V-8 and a 6.7-liter V-8 diesel. The internally developed diesel replaces the previous 6.4-liter Navistar oil burner. The Super Duty pickups also will offer a new six-speed automatic. The new Super Duty diesel and transmission together are 185 lbs lighter than the outgoing powertrain.

General Motors Co. will take the wraps off the Buick Regal GS concept car this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. A production version of the vehicle is expected next year as part of GM’s plan to reestablish Buick’s performance bona fides.

Buick Regal GS concept

GM is due to ramp up output of the base Regal in the second quarter. Both it and the GS (short for Grand Sport, a badge used by Buick’s muscle cars in the 1960s and 1970s) ride on GM’s global midsize platform that carries the Opel Insignia. The GS upgrades—including vertically oriented air intakes and all-wheel drive with an electronic limited-slip differential in the rear—are borrowed from the Insignia OPC performance model.

Unlike the OPC, which is powered by the same basic 2.8-liter turbocharged V-6 offered in the Cadillac SRX and Saab Turbo X, the Regal GS has a more efficient direct-injection Ecotec 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes an estimated 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The turbo GDI system is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. GM says a manual gearbox is necessary to make the GS a serious performance sedan. In this case, it allows the GS to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than six seconds.

Drivers can select one of three operating modes to change damper settings, throttle response, shift pattern and steering sensitivity. The four-wheel-independent suspension includes the HiPerStrut (high-performance strut) design in front. Launched in the Insignia OPC, the system is designed to reduce torque steer and maintain negative camber during cornering, which GM says improves all-weather grip and enhances road feel.

Stopping power comes from a Brembo brake system with 14×1.2-inch cross-drilled rotors, high-performance pads and four-piston, high-strength aluminum calipers. Other features include a lowered body and lower center of gravity, 20-inch forged aluminum wheels, performance tires, sport steering wheel and pedals and Recaro racing-style seats.

Chrysler Group LLC says it will revamp 80% of its powertrain lineup by 2014, in large part by using Fiat technology or entire Fiat engines. Chrysler predicts the five-year plan will boost the average fuel economy of its engines by 25%.

Last week the company detailed specifications for several new engines and transmissions that it will display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Fiat took a controlling 20% interest in Chrysler after the U.S. carmaker emerged from bankruptcy last summer. Under the combined operations, Chrysler’s existing powertrain group will focus on large-displacement gasoline engines and electrification technology, while Fiat Powertrain will serve as the companies’ center of expertise for diesel technology and gasoline engines displacing less than 1.8 liters, plus direct fuel injection, turbocharging and transmission systems.

Chrysler also gains access to Fiat’s Multiair system, which features electrohydraulic-actuated solenoid valves for direct control of air and combustion on a stroke-by-stroke basis per cylinder across engine speeds. The company says the technologies boost horsepower by as much as 10%, low-end torque by 15% and fuel efficiency and emissions by about 10%.

The first engine to get the upgrade will be Fiat’s 1.4-liter FIRE four-cylinder engine that will bow in the Italian automaker’s 500 city car late this year. A normally aspirated engine will crank out 100 hp and 95 lb-ft. of torque, and a turbo version will produce 170 hp and 170 lb-ft.

Chrysler is adding the Multiair system to its existing 2.4-liter I-4 global gasoline engine that it makes in Dundee, Mich. The powerplant

will make an estimated 190 hp at 6,000 rpm and 175 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. That compares with the current I-4’s output of 172 hp and 165 lb-ft. A turbo version of the 2.4-liter with Multiair also is being developed. Chrysler hasn’t said when the new versions of the I-4 will appear or what vehicles they’ll be offered in.

The engine roll out also includes Chrysler’s long-awaited Pentastar V-6, codenamed Phoenix. Due to replace half a dozen six-cylinder engines, the 3.6-liter mill will be introduced in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee this spring. The new engine will be 8% more efficient than previous Chrysler V-6s, according to the company. The new powerplant will crank out 280 hp and 260 lb-ft, gains of 33% and 11%, respectively, over the current Grand Cherokee V-6. The Pentastar system also can be fitted with Multiair, direct injection and turbocharging.

Chrysler also plans to offer Fiat’s six-speed dual dry-clutch transmission on midsize cars later this year. The company says the system will improve fuel economy 10% over current automatic gearboxes.

The cost of lithium-ion batteries used in next-generation hybrid/electric vehicles is expected to fall sharply over the coming decade. But prices are unlikely to drop enough to spark large-scale sales of all-electric vehicles by 2020, according to a new study by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

The study concludes that the long-term cost target of $250 per kilowatt-hour (about the rate of lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electric devices) won’t be achieved unless there is a major chemistry breakthrough that substantially increases the energy a battery can store. The authors point out that automotive-grade batteries are more complex and must be far more robust.

The cost of batteries is expected to decrease from the current price of $1,000-$1,200 per kW/hr to about $400 by 2020. But even at the lower cost, Boston Consulting says, it would take an average 15 years of ownership to recoup the cost of an EV’s battery pack and 19 years for an extended-range hybrid such as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.

Factoring in government subsidies that currently allow buyers to recoup $7,500 of the cost would reduce the payback period to 3-5 years, but the authors note that such incentives probably won’t be maintained over the next decade. Payback time also would benefit if oil prices soar, gasoline taxes increase or buyers drive more miles per year.

The BCG forecast estimates that 26% of new cars and trucks sold in 2020 in China, Japan, western Europe and the U.S. will have electric or hybrid powertrains. At current growth rates for these markets, this would equal 14 million vehicles. Of the total, traditional hybrids and new plug-in systems would account for 11 million units, with EVs and extended-range models splitting the remaining 3 million. Hybrids and EVs currently make up about 3% of the global market.

Other hurdles for the electric-car battery market include energy storage capacity, charging time and infrastructure needs. Without a major advance in battery technology, the authors believe EVs will continue to have a relatively limited driving range about 160–190 miles between charges.

The findings are based on research and analysis of more than 50 battery suppliers, auto OEMs, university researchers, start-up battery-technology companies, and government agencies across the world.