Volkswagen AG research chief Ulrich Hackenberg tells The Nikkei it may supply its hybrid-electric vehicle technology to Suzuki Motor Corp. But he does not say when the technology transfer might occur or what vehicles would be involved.

VW unveiled its New Compact Coupe hybrid vehicle earlier this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The vehicle is expected to make it into production, but a launch target hasn’t been set. VW’s first hybrid model, a gasoline-electric SUV, is due this summer. Suzuki currently doesn’t offer a hybrid vehicle.

Under a deal announced last month, VW is acquiring a 19.9% stake in the Japanese automaker, and Suzuki will take a 2.5% share of the German company. The partners have said they plan to jointly develop a new small car.

A number of companies, including a mix of mainstream OEMs and new niche players, are showing all-electric vehicles at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Many of the EVs being displayed are production-oriented models with announced launch schedules for the U.S.

China’s BYD Co., for example, claims it will begin selling its e6 sedan, which rides on a

111-inch wheelbase, in the U.S. later this year. But the company concedes it has no dealer network and has not certified the car for U.S. safety standards. Powered by BYD’s internally developed lithium-ion battery pack, the five-passenger e6 boasts an impressive 205-mile range. The car takes 14 seconds to reach 60 mph and has a maximum speed of 87 mph.

CT&T of South Korea is showing a line of 24 specialty EVs that range from minicars and a sporty car to delivery vehicles and an amphibious model. The eight-year-old company, which currently produces some 10,000 vehicles per year for its domestic market, hopes to grow annual sales to 300,000 units globally by 2013.

Other CT&T vehicles on display included a parking enforcement model, postal service car, police car and a food catering truck. Batteries for the vehicles are being developed with LG Chem and SK Energy.

BMW previewed its Concept ActiveE all-electric coupe powered by a new synchronous electric motor it developed for the project. The 170-hp electric motor produces 184 lb-ft of torque over its full rpm range. The battery pack was developed in a joint venture with SB LiMotive.

Hyundai is showing a new plug-in concept with a 40-mile all-electric range in Detroit this week. The sporty coupe uses lithium-iron batteries, touch-screen controls and has solar panels on the roof.

At Chrysler’s exhibit, controlling owner Fiat is displaying an electric version of its 500 city car. Industry watchers expect a U.S. launch for the vehicle in the next two years.

BMW AG will offer a turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine in its top-end 7 Series sedan in North America later this year.

Due next quarter, the 740i will be the first 7 Series in the region since 1992 that is equipped with a six-cylinder engine, according to Automotive News. All 7 Series cars have had eight-cylinder engines in recent years.

At the other end of its lineup, BMW plans to introduce an electric variant of its 1 Series coupe in 2011. Based on the ActiveE concept model, the electric vehicle is powered by a new synchronous motor that generates 170 hp.

Toyota Motor Corp. says it will add 100 vehicles to its current fuel cell test program in New York and California over the next three years and commercialize the technology by 2015. The company has been testing a handful of fuel cell vehicles in these markets since 2008.

Toyota’s third-generation FCHV (fuel cell hybrid vehicle) is based on the Highlander SUV. The prototype can travel more than 430 miles on a single tank of compressed hydrogen gas. This is the equivalent of about 68 mpg running on gasoline—twice the range of a traditional Highlander with a combustion engine.

The program aims to evaluate performance, increase public exposure to fuel cell technology and help spur the development of a hydrogen infrastructure. The new test vehicles will be placed with universities, government agencies and private companies.

Toyota says it is working with a number of large cities worldwide to build an infrastructure to support fuel cell vehicles. It also is trying to determine how many vehicles need to be sold per year to make the program viable. Some executives have suggested that a hydrogen infrastructure would make fuel cell vehicles more affordable than all-electric vehicles because they have a much longer driving range.

Dow Kokam LLC, a joint venture formed last year by Dow Chemical Co. and TK (Townsend Kokam) Advanced Battery LLC to make lithium-ion battery cells, has acquired Societe de Vehicles Electriques.

SVE is the wholly owned, eight-year-old subsidiary of France’s Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault. The company develops high-performance battery and energy management systems.

Under the deal, which was proposed in September, SVE will become a French subsidiary of Dow Kokam. Groupe Dassault, the holding company for various companies—including product lifecycle management giant Dassault Systemes—will become a minority shareholder of Dow Kokam.

Dow Kokam says the acquisition will help it expand from cell manufacture to pack assembly and battery management systems for the automotive industry. But Dow Kokam CEO Ravi Shanker says the company will continue to work with battery pack integrators for hybrid/electric vehicle programs. The deal also gives Dow Kokam an immediate presence in Europe.

Last fall, Dow Kokam received a $161 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and $145 million in state tax credits to build a manufacturing facility in Midland, Mich. The plant, which will focus on lithium-ion battery cells for transportation applications, is scheduled to launch production in 2012. With a potential floorspace of 500,000 sq ft, it is expected to have the capacity to make enough cells to equip about 35,000 EVs per year. Initially, SEV is expected to handle battery pack assembly in France. But Shanker says this may be expanded to North America in the future too.

Dow Kokam currently makes lithium-ion batteries at a plant near Kansas City for high-end industrial and medical applications and for unmanned ground and air vehicles for the U.S. military. The company claims its low-impedance prismatic cell design generates less heat than competitive lithium-ion chemistries.

SVE has been working with South Korean-based Kokam Co. since 2008. The partners jointly developed Cleanbat, a patented lithium-ion battery system technology, which they claim offers superior performance, reliability and safety with efficient liquid-cooled thermal management and high-precision electronics.

Don’t expect General Motors Co. vehicles to join the increasing number of automakers shifting to dual-clutch transmissions (DCTs) anytime soon.

Other automakers have been offering DCTs for several years in Europe. But Tom Stephens, who heads the company’s global product operations, tells Wards.com that recent cash constraints make it unlikely GM will meet earlier plans to introduce the technology in 2012.

In a separate roundtable meeting with journalists at this week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says only that GM will introduce dual-clutch systems “in due time.”

Cost isn’t the only issue. GM also wants to use a dry-clutch design that is less expensive and lighter than current wet-clutch DCTs. But to date, Lutz points out, dry-clutch designs cannot be used with engines displacing more than about 1.8 liters. GM aims to develop a dry system that can be used with its 2.0- and 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines, but Lutz concedes the company may have to switch to a wet-clutch design.

DCTs, which can be shifted automatically or manually without a foot pedal, allow motorists to achieve almost the same fuel efficiency as a traditional manual gearbox. Until it launches its own DCT, GM will continue to offer six-speed manual systems in its performance vehicles.

Whether wet or dry, a DCT uses one clutch to shift odd-number gears and another clutch to shift the even-number gears and reverse. The clutch not currently engaged is connected to the next pre-selected gear to enable faster shifting.

Volkswagen AG was first to market with a dual-clutch transmission when it debuted a BorgWarner Inc. system in European versions of the Golf R32 and Audi TT seven years ago. Since then, several other suppliers and automakers have developed and launched their own DCTs.

Ford Motor Co., working with Germany’s Getrag GmbH, offers a wet dual-clutch transmission mated to a 2.0-liter diesel in its European Focus car. In North America, Ford will introduce a six-speed dry system in the upcoming Fiesta and Focus small cars.

Continental AG and Schaeffler Group, its 90% owner, have begun working together on unspecified powertrain programs. But Samir Salman, who heads Continental’s North American operations, says the relationship is at arm’s length—making it no different than how Conti interacts with other potential partners.

Salman told reporters in Detroit that the two companies also are teaming up on purchasing and refinancing efforts.

The companies have been locked in a power struggle since Schaeffler acquired control of the much-larger Conti in a hostile takeover last year. The companies, which agreed last June to merge, have postponed the move for unspecified reasons.

Continental AG continues to develop a host of new technologies independent of Schaeffler Group, its 90% owner. Much of Conti’s focus is on integrated systems that overlap the company’s traditional product segments, addressing a combination of safety, performance, environmental, comfort and infotainment functions.

For example, the company says more advanced, GPS-based technology could link base navigation systems with a vehicle’s engine and brakes, enabling real-time active control based on upcoming road conditions. This type of functionality will allow embedded navigation systems to continue to compete against low-cost handheld navigation systems. Even so, Continental emphasizes that significant cost reductions and faster time to market for new features is needed for embedded systems. The company predicts virtually all motorists worldwide will use some form of navigation aid, whether an embedded or personal device, within the next 10 years.

Conti also is working on increased customization that would allow customers to tailor vehicle performance and related displays to their style of driving.

At last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company detailed its new AutoLinQ platform that will enable various mobile phones to link directly to a vehicle’s multimedia system. Later this quarter it will release a software development kit for the Android-based open platform, which has been developed in conjunction with Microsoft Corp.

Conti plans to begin showing potential applications to OEMs in the second half of the year. It also will launch a new Web site this year that will allow third-party developers to test potential applications on a simulated car. Initial features are expected to include remote diagnostic capability and real-time functionality based on vehicle parameters, such as automatically searching for nearby fuel stations when the gas tank reaches a pre-determined level.