cool carz carz

Thanks to celebrity endorsements and relatively little competition, Toyota's got a lock on the domestic hybrid market with its Prius, the popular five-seater hatchback that gets 48 miles per gallon in city driving and 45 on the highway. Its recently announced a third-generation model should help it retain its ranking at the top of the hybrid heap.But that's not stopping Ford Motor from trying to dethrone the Japanese automaker. This spring, Ford will try to gain more traction in the hybrid space with two new models, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids. Both family-sized sedans promise 41 miles per gallon in city driving and 36 on the highway.They are just two of a handful of new drives set to debut in the U.S. over the next two years. Others include the Chevrolet Camaro, the Ford Fiesta and the Chevy Cruze. Some, including many being unveiled at the North American International Auto Show this week, are set to hit domestic showrooms this year; others may not reach production until the 2011 model year.In Pictures: 20 Cars Of The FutureThough the worldwide car market has been saddled with poor sales--domestic sales in recent months fell to their lowest per-capita levels in 50 years, and last year, Asian manufacturers lost 12.5% of their sales in the U.S., while their European counterparts lost 11.1%--the home team has been busy investing in new products.General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) is making an ambitious effort to take back the mantle of technological leadership with its Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid. This vehicle differs from today's hybrids in that drivers will be able to recharge the batteries with an electrical outlet.Another difference: The Volt's gasoline motor does not power the drive wheels. Instead, after the vehicle exceeds its 40-mile range on batteries only, the gasoline motor turns a generator to recharge the batteries that feed the electric drive