Jan. 11--Beaten down by a global recession and propped up by government money, American automakers will call out a vision of an electric-powered future during the next two days of the auto show in Detroit that's more about survival than sales.

Four of the world's largest automakers will either show new hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric models, as will smaller players such as China's BYD and start-ups Tesla Motors and Fisker. General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC will show off new electric concept vehicles, while Ford Motor Co. will tout its trials of plug-in hybrid SUVs and plans for battery-powered vans and sedans.

Such models alone can't cure Detroit's massive financial ills, and touting hyper-efficient yet expensive and low-volume vehicles when nervous customers have turned toward cheaper alternatives -- when they shop at all -- might seem like another industry misstep.

But they could generate enough excitement to suggest a viable future for Detroit, while convincing policymakers that electric vehicles deserve the government boost they'll need to go mainstream.

"Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles could lead to the salvation and resurrection of the American auto industry, because that's a technology we're on the forefront of," said Daniel Weiss, director of climate strategy for the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank.

Carving a path to prosperity

The chill in the air at this year's show isn't just the Michigan winter. After a year of seesawing oil prices, brushes with bankruptcy, the worst U.S. sales in 15 years and plants idled from Toledo to Toyota City, auto show glitz seems glib. Several automakers are staying home, most notably Nissan Motor Co.

But for the home team, the show still offers a world stage to answer tough questions about whether they can carve a path to prosperity. In addition to new models, GM will offer a Cadillac electric concept, after vowing to Congress that it would spend $758 million through 2012 on the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric vehicle and its technology.

Chrysler will unveil the Dodge Circuit, another in a series of electric vehicles that the troubled automaker says it will put in production in 2010, just as GM is doing with the Volt. And while Ford is not expected to unveil a new hybrid vehicle, it will talk about its plans for all-electric models in 2012.

All have vowed to make their regular vehicles more fuel efficient after last summer's gasoline spike. Ford already is boasting the fuel economy figures for its new Fusion sedan like it used to do with the towing capacity of the F-150 pickup.