7 January 2000  First concept cars developed under PNGV program
will be unveiled in Detroit at the North American International
Auto Show next week. The cars are diesel-electric Ford Prodigy
and GM Precept. Both cars achieve almost 80 miles per gallon of
diesel fuel (2.94 l/100km) while providing room for a family of
five.  The concept cars are hybrid vehicles powered by a
combination of a diesel engine and an electric motor. They
utilize ultra light-weight materials including aluminum alloys
and polymers. The weight of the GM Precept and Ford Prodigy is
2,875 and 2,387 lbs (1,304 and 1,083 kg), respectively.
Launching the concept cars meets the original PNGV objective of
building technology demonstration vehicles in 2000. However, a
lot of development has to be done before the cars are ready for
commercial production. One of the biggest problems is high cost
of both prototypes.  The PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation
of Vehicles) was launched in 1993 as a cooperative program
between the US government, G