By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

The 2008 edition of the Chicago Auto Show kicks off Feb. 8 and runs through Feb. 17 at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Dr. One of the largest car exhibitions in the world, the Chicago Auto Show this year becomes the first such exhibition to reach 100 installments.

While car manufacturers can always be counted on to trot out their biggest, fastest and most luxurious models at the auto show, 2008 will have many green(er) cars on display, as auto companies have caught on to public concern about the environment and rising gas prices.

The best-selling gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the United States and the world, the 2008 Toyota Prius, of course makes an appearance at the auto show. It seats five passengers and can achieve 650 miles between fill-up. The gasoline engine uses variable valve timing, produces 76 horsepower, and when combined with the permanent-magnet electric drive motor, generates a total of 110 horses.

General Motors is also showcasing a number of cars to take a bigger bite out of the growing hybrid market.

The 2008 Chevy Malibu Hybrid, according to a statement by GM, is the company’s response to the motif of “design on a dime” popularized by stores such as Target or H&M. Equipped with a unique electric motor/generator mated to a 2.4-liter Ecotec VVT four-cylinder engine and Hydra-Matic four-speed transmission, the hybrid powertrain is rated at 164 horsepower. GM promises a car with “the looks and amenities of a $40,000 vehicle starting at just $20,000.”

The Cadillac Provoq concept car, already debuted at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, uses GM’s “E-Flex” technology that combines a fifth-generation fuel cell system and a lithium-ion battery to produce an electrically driven vehicle that uses no petroleum and has no emission other than water.

The Saturn Vue Green Line combines sophisticated controls with an electric motor/generator mated to a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a modified four-speed automatic transmission. The system saves fuel by providing an electric power assist during acceleration, shutting off the engine at idle, early fuel cut-off during deceleration and capturing electrical energy through regenerative braking.

Cadillac’s Escalade is the world’s first fuel-saving hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV. Powered by an innovative, fuel-saving 2-Mode Hybrid system, the Escalade Hybrid delivers more than a 50-percent improvement in fuel economy in city driving, while delivering the same distinctive style and full-size capability that have made the Escalade an icon.