…2008 was pretty exciting. But most of the excitement was taking place under the hood rather than on display…

Everybody has been talking about alternative fuels. Cars that can burn ethanol are yesterday’s news. Several hydrogen fuel cars from major manufacturers are already prepped up and are about to start trials, with an eye towards commercial launches in 2010. Honda’s FCX Clarity will begin limited marketing this summer, while there are already 100 examples of Chevrolet’s Equinox on select streets across the world.

Gasoline-electric hybrid technology is moving into bigger cars (including a hybrid Cadillac Escalade) with ever greater distance ranges, as auto manufacturers embrace and try to enhance lithium-ion batteries.

For most gadget buffs the future is already here. Stuff like GPS systems, in-car computers and music beamed from satellites is already available in almost everything with four wheels these days (if only for an extra fee). The NY Auto Show was more about products featuring dramatic improvements over their existing models.

Except for one thing. There was a flying car. Well… really there was… So what if it didn’t fly!

Nano Attack

The Smart Fortwo, by Mercedes, weighs about 850 kg and is 2.6 m long – half the length of a conventional car – and 1.55 m wide. It has six airbags and is designed for city driving (as if we had to say that). Prices start at $11, 590 and company officials claim that there’s already a waiting list of about 30,000 people in the US.

Quick Recharge

Imagine charging a full-sized electric car in about 30 minutes. Hell, that’s the time a cellphone takes to charge. Mitsubishi’s electric prototype, the Japanese iCar, is a transformer which when fitted to the battery connector can provide a 50-KW charge to a lithium-ion battery in 30 minutes!

Fly-I-Will

Milner Motors Aircar and experimental hybrid is, as the name suggests, supposed to fly. Though it has been designed to do 320 kph in air, on the ground, it’s got a top speed of just 135 kph. Bah! Its cost is expected to be about $450,000. And yeah… they are still trying to figure out how to make it airborne… When pigs fly…!

DID YOU KNOW BMW is working on a new top-secret eco-friendly model, which could mark the rebirth of the famous lsetta microcar. This initiative known internally as Project I, includes the development of an all-new urban runabout that will complement the existing BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce ranges. According to company chairman Norbert Reit-Hofer, the I stands for ‘innovation’, rather than Isetta. BMW has still not decided whether this will be a sub-brand for BMW or mini or whether it is a standalone marque

The Isetta was one of the most successful microcars produced in the post-WWII years. Due to its egg shape and bubble car, a name later given to other similar vehicles.