Automakers show off hybrids at Geneva Auto Show

More and more automakers rolled out their newest hybrids, or announced plans to do so, at the Geneva Auto Show on Tuesday, begging the question: Is the future now, or is this just attention-grabbing while the real powerhouse of the automotive world remains king combustion?

For the time being most automakers are hedging their bets.

Porsche kicked off the show with a hybrid version of its Cayenne S sports utility vehicle. French group PSA Peugeot Citroen SA is launching hybrids in 2012. And Toyota aims to have a hybrid across every model range by 2020.

Executives cite consumer demand for gasoline-electric powered cars and the drive to stay competitive as fuel efficiency standards get stricter.

"Our experience with Prius and other hybrids tells us that market acceptance of hybrids is growing," said Toyota Europea Vice President Andrea Formica.

Last year, 530,000 customers purchased hybrids around the world, up 24 percent from 2008, and in Europe, Prius sales in a difficult market increased 3 percent in 2009 to 44,000 units.

"Drivers of hybrids are no longer pioneers or early-adapters. They are more and more mainstream buyers," Formica said.

But while the world's largest car company can point to the third generation of its successful Prius range for its green credentials, most manufacturers have bet the firm on improving their gas-powered vehicles for the foreseeable future. Some appeared content to offer hybrids as little more than a moral fig leaf for consumers who feel guilty about their carbon footprint.

"Hybrid sales are not booming in any part of the world," said Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson. "One reason being, of course, is it is a very expensive proposition and today's gasoline and diesel applications are getting more and more efficient."