What Will You Be Driving In 10 Years?

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market would see those diminutive cars that are so popular in Europe. The answer was the standard "We'll let you know in a few months."

PEUGEOT'S PRIORITY.

Diesels rule the road in Europe, and I had the chance to sample several, including the 1.6-liter diesel Volvo S40. The miniscule engine had plenty of power on the track, even with two rather large journalists acting as ballast in the backseat. With no idle clatter and an advanced particulate trap, this 50-mpg vehicle would be perfect for the U.S. market. Will it happen? We will have to wait and see on this, as well.

Hybrid and diesel technology teamed up in Peugeot's HDi hybrid that used an engine start/stop system to cut emissions and an electric-power Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mode that can be activated by a dash-mounted switch. It's interesting my interview with Peugeot's Jean-Francois Huere focused mainly on emission reduction, which seems to be the emphasis in the European market over fuel economy. For the record, the estimates for the 307 diesel hybrid are in the 70-mpg-plus range. The problem: Both diesel and hybrid technology add big to the price tag, so Peugeot is shooting to reduce costs and field the vehicle sometime in 2010.

By the way, Peugeot has some of the most attractive sheet metal cruising the highways of France these days. Is it time for them to return to the U.S. market?

THE FRINGE ELEMENT.

Are you an early hydrogen-highway adopter? DaimlerChrysler (DCX) had a fleet of their hydrogen-powered F Cell fuel-cell vehicles. Based on the production version of the Mercedes A Class, these vehicles made hot laps around the CERAM test track on two sweltering days without incident. Two days on a race track with journalists behind the wheel, that's an acid test for sure, and goes a long way to prove just how well automotive fuel-cell technology works. Now if you could only find a hydrogen filling station when you need it. Besides the F Cell, I also spent time behind the wheel of General Motors' (GM) Hydrogen 3 fuel cell. This one was covered with Ikea logos since it's seeing use as a delivery truck when it's not taking part in rallies.

And then there were some outer-fringe sustainable-mobility ideas, including a trio of electric cars from French couturier Courrèges: the ZOOOP with its yellow passenger dome, the EXE that was mostly a bit of exposed frame work, and—my favorite—the Bulle urban car concept, which had the look of a large industrial popcorn popper. They all showed what happens when a designer's mind is allowed to roam freely.

Most all of the vehicles that took part in Michelin's Challenge Bibendum are possible forms of sustainable mobility. But the only thing certain about the future of automotive travel is that we will be driving something that is radically different from the big-displacement, fossil fuel-burning behemoths of today. My only hope is they will have air conditioning at least as good as Saturn's Green Line hybrid. Especially if I am driving on a hot June weekend in Paris.

To see the cars and technologies that were the highlights of the Michelin Challenge Bibendum, click here.

Frederick J. Staab is co-host of the nationally syndicated automotive radio show Cruise Control.