Yes, your cheeky scribe has been ogling some fine sleek machines and smooth feline features. And the cars are not bad either! : )

The race is on. It’s official. Green cars are the way of the future, and it looks as though all of the world’s major car manufacturing countries are hurrying to build the greenest cars of the future. And we could be driving them within the next few years!

As Frankfurt hums with activity at the latest Motor Show, and revs its engines to the sound of arriving new models from all over the world, some cars have been arriving with almost no sound, except for the electric hum of high-powered fuel cells, and new versions of existing Hybrid models of successful cars. In an industry normally dominated by Toyota, Honda and now Nissan, it seems that Germany is getting in on the act, not just because it will re-start its car-manufacturing economy. It will help Germany and eventually everyone else become greener. I say, the sooner, the better.

All the European Car Makers are here, and have put in strong models, with attractive features. (Sorry, got distracted – the cars I mean.) Intoxicating new leather smells from roomy car interiors, new rubber designer tyres, new MP3 sound systems, state of the art Navigation systems, on-board TV ad Video entertainment, consoles that talk to drivers and suggest how to drive better. Some of these are strictly “look but don’t touch” models, (tell me about it) but oh, the sights are really something to behold. These are some of the sights, sounds and smells at Frankfurt, as I – and we - once again get a serious overdose of “All there is to Love about Cars”. The world knows that, pretty soon, there won’t be as much oil left in the world, and we will all have to be driving something different. Our habits are going to have to change. Less pollution, more technical innovation, new fuels, new car shapes, better power management. And you’ll be able to have any colour you like, as long as it’s green.

While cars trends are leaning ever more towards sleeker cars that work on alternative fuels, such as ethanol, fuel cell-electric, and even possibly Hydrogen and Water (that’s if the techno-boffins have their way with us), there’s even rumours abounding that car innovations could change our lives in other ways. The plastics, carbon fibre insulations and materials in cars are more recyclable. Cars are less noisy. They have more safety features inside and out. It turns out we are relying less on damaging disposable batteries and more on rechargeable batteries that, besides charging much faster, will save us money in the long term. Other gadgets and machines in our lives will be modified and changed to keep in with the trend for greater energy efficiency. The military are already flying electric spy planes and other devices overhead that they don’t want us to know about. Remember when back in the old days, the internet was called ARPANET, a network of computers really made for military use and for academics? Technologies always tend to filter down amongst the masses of world populations. So too should the fuel and energy discoveries of the near future. Power supplies in everything from watches to cameras to mobile phones and even laptops will be updated, and renewable. Our electricity that flows into our cities and town will come from more alternative power sources, such as sunlight and wind power. And as the types of power source change, new inventions and technologies will surface.

In Ireland (where work and other things force me to travel between there and the UK) there is a hypothetical plan afoot to flood small valleys near the Irish west coast and build special systems that will drain water slowly downwards, and allow the run-off to generate power for the country and beyond. It’s still a design on paper at the moment, but Ireland (already a wind-power creator) could be slowly gearing itself to become a net exporter of power for the first time ever. Without ever having to be a nuclear power-generating country. And it’s not just Ireland. Green energy is becoming the new economy everywhere, and will create employment, investment, and opportunities for new kinds of green energy trading. We are heading towards green energy markets that will work just like other markets, commodities included. It seems that a little financial stress and hardship has brought us to our senses, and we are now embracing the Green High Tech.

Britain re-invented its fortunes during the Thatcher years of the 1980’s (I was a wee lass then) with the arrival of Asian Car Makers like Nissan. It brought investment, jobs and wealth to the economy. Many European countries are now looking to re-invent themselves economically following the Global Financial downturn in the last 18 months. In Germany, people who work in Car retail quote the latest increases in car sales as people trade in aging motorcars for newer greener, more efficient models. Car makers like Mercedes and others know that by offering incentives like trade-ins, and other sales offers, they shift more models. Mercedes and Volkswagen have reported improved business. That’s more commissions on sales. And it coincides with news that money is flowing once again from the banks. (Some countries appear to have already “sorted” their banking problems.)

Germany is celebrating the latest line up of hot new car models at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and it’s a welcome sign of new shoots of growth appearing in its economy. Over in the USA, where people love Freedom and Liberty, onlookers are hoping that Germany’s slow but definite turnaround might show American Auto Showrooms a way to woo back weary drivers who, up to now have been reluctant to trade up to newer cars. Now that President Obama has injected Billions of Dollars into cash strapped Car Manufacturers in an effort to revitalise the car industry, a suitable “Carrot” or inducement must be offered to motorists and others there. America has to work harder to win customers. American Auto work unemployment has to stop climbing, so that any sign of growth anywhere will be a sure hope for a better future, and maybe something to sell to the Voters.

All eyes are on European Car Maker Fiat, which has bought into part of the big American car market. But can Fiat now pick it up and turn out new models that will re-invigorate the flagging US market? Judging from what’s being offered at Frankfurt, the answer could be “Yes”. American motorists are somewhat reluctant to embrace the tastes of their European brethren, who are more accepting of smaller cars that sacrifice some of the speed and power for more alternative improvements, technical extras and “greener” fuel efficiency. Old habits die hard.

Earlier this year, I opened my weekend newspapers and looked with amusement at pictures of chat show legend Jay Leno taking a strange vehicle for a try out on American roads. The small 2-seater car looked like a cross between a plane with no wings, and a car from the 1960’s. It was one of America’s latest all Electric cars. Try to imagine an Aircraft carrier with 500 such cars on the deck, arriving in the ports of Japan. The Japanese would think they were being invaded! And in a strange way, that is exactly what America has to do. It has to take the battle back to the other side, with strong products and selling points, and close the deals. And historically – America has done this before, just as Ford showed the world how mass production could change car making for everyone. In this business, the first ones into a new market (the early adaptors) tend to lead, and be dominant. A little heartfelt soul-searching in Corporate America combined with a sales and marketing push, could pay dividends now.

In Frankfurt – the rising tide in car sales could well be an indicator as to how much the German economy may grow in the near future. Thankfully the Germans don’t put all their apples in the one basket, and they will grow and flourish in many industries. But they will be flourishing as those industries change from gas-guzzling vehicles and modes of transport – to cleaner, greener, newer and sexier looking modes of transport. As one industry will prosper, it will take other industries with it. It is HERE where the future lies. In the current economic downturn, our sudden pre-occupation with green energy could not have come at a better time. The World is discovering once again how to turn a crisis into an opportunity.

Text copyright (c)2009 Cheeky Girl / Mantis.