The theme of the show: 'The Automotive Seat of Power' is apt, as Washington is considering a number of policies that could remake the auto industry. President Barack Obama last week directed the Environmental Protection Agency to revisit the request of California and 12 other states to impose a 30 percent reduction in tailpipe emissions by 2016. Obama has also directed the Transportation Department to set higher fuel efficiency standards for the 2011 model year by March 30. Both EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will tour the show. Automakers plan to reiterate their support for a single national tailpipe emissions standard. And they have expressed skepticism about Obama's campaign pledge to have 1 million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015. Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi America, said at a Green Car Summit on Capitol Hill that electric hybrids aren't viable. 'If the auto industry in the U.S. goes down this road and is compelled to invest in (plug-in) technology and then faces the reality ... that no one wants to buy them because they make no economic sense. That is how they will go out of business,' de Nysschen said. 'We need a balanced approach -- an integrated approach that sees a complementary role' for plug-ins. Bill Reinert, national manager of Toyota Motor Corp.'s advanced technology group, said it's not realistic to have 1 million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015. He said that many plug-ins would require a faster adoption than the Prius. It took Toyota nearly 11 years to sell 1 million Prius vehicles worldwide. There are currently no plug-in or all-electric vehicles being produced, aside from a few start-up companies or companies offering battery conversion kits. Battery technology remains a major issue. Ford said its battery cells will be produced in France, but the battery packs will be assembled in the United States. GM announced last month its battery cells will come from South Korea and be manufactured in southeastern Michigan. Chrysler LLC said it will have produced 100 all-electric vehicles by year's end, and last month said it plans to have four electric models on the road in 2013. The company says it expects to have 500,000 electric vehicles on the road in four years. Chrysler introduced four electric vehicle concepts at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The automaker internally has decided which one it will produce next year but not when it will make that public, said Lou Rhodes, president of Chrysler's ENVI group, which is developing electric vehicles. He said Chrysler's analysis is that for vehicles with an electric range of 20 miles or more 'the economics just don't make sense' to have an electric motor, battery pack and an internal combustion engine. He also said the electric hybrid 'is the highest-cost solution' compared with a pure-electric vehicle. Toyota's Reinert said by January 2010 the company will have a test fleet of 150 plug-in vehicles on the road. Ford has built 11 electric hybrid Ford Escapes. It delivered one last month to DTE Energy, so it can test the vehicle and collect data, and will deliver another later this year. It plans to build at least 5,000 plug-in vehicles yearly starting in 2012. 'What we think is 5,000 is not insignificant. It's a very good number to get out there, but if we have high customer demand and want, (we need) to meet that want,' said Nancy Gioia, director of Ford's sustainable mobility technologies and hybrid vehicle systems. The Ford plug-in hybrid Escape test fleet will have an all-electric range of about 30 miles, though they are getting a longer range currently in testing, Gioia said. Ford announced last month it plans to unveil an all-electric small car in 2011 with a range of about 100 miles and an electric commercial van in 2010. Putting all those electric vehicles on the road will require help from others. GM is working with cities to help increase adoption of the technology faster. Britta Gross, GM's manager of hydrogen and electrical infrastructure development, said cities can offer things like providing access to high-occupancy vehicle lanes, waiving sales tax, and providing some public charging stations. 'We've put together a blueprint of who can do something ... and what could they do to create an environment that is much, much more conducive' to plug-in vehicles, she said. GM's $1 billion Volt program needs the assistance of partners, Gross said. For more than a year, GM has been working with more than 40 utilities on planning for tens of thousands of plug-in vehicles.