It’s Auto-Show season 2009 in Canada and the US and true to their word, the automakers are strutting their “alternative-fuel� stuff. Major urban centres such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and of course Detroit typically kick off the season and the road-show continues all winter and into the early spring in order to showcase all the new cars available in the showrooms today as well as many of the vehicles that will be announced in a year or two.

Let’s review what some of the manufacturer’s are showing off and when they can be expected to show up in a showroom near you.

General Motors: The North American media, the US congress and the general public has taken several “shots� at North America’s (and formerly the world’s largest automaker) but give the “General� credit; they know it’s a tough spot being #1 because you only have one way to go. GM will be announcing the Chevrolet Volt sometime in 2010 and they feel it will be the “shot-in-the-arm� the organization needs to regain market confidence, market share and environmentally friendliness. I believe the Volt will stimulate GM as an organization in the same fashion as the “Magic Van� (Caravan) boosted The Chrysler Corporation in the 1980’s.