DETROIT -- Resembling a massive construction site, the main floor of Detroit’s Cobo Center was the centre of auto show preparation on the weekend as crews were busy assembling displays before the two-day press preview, which starts Monday.

While many of the vehicles starring in the 2010 North American International Auto Show were literally under wraps, the green theme was prevalent throughout the main floor.

Detroit Three automakers will be asserting their place in a vehicle segment long occupied by foreign competitors such as Honda, Toyota and Hyundai, said Doug Fox, NAIAS chairman.

“What we’re seeing is a strong directional shift from our hometown manufacturers that had been heavily reliant on pickup truck and sport utilities and crossovers to the small, fuel-efficient, energy-saving, environmentally friendly, low-emission vehicles,” Fox said.

“A strong push in that direction is coming from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, and this is a segment they’ve somewhat let other foreign manufacturers have over the last decade. They’ve made it very clear that they’re entering the segment in a very strong, powerful way.”

As part of its partnership with Italy’s Fiat SpA, Chrysler will unveil an electric Fiat 500 minicar, Fox said.

Ford will use the show to stage the global launch of the 2011 Focus subcompact, Fox said.

“It’s my understanding there will be several renditions of the Focus, everything from fuel cell, hybrid to electric.”

General Motors will unveil its Chevy Spark minicar as well as the final production version of the electric Volt.

“We’ve been waiting five years to see that,” Fox said.

When it comes to environmentally friendly vehicles, consumers, especially Canadians, are moving quickly into that segment, said auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers.

“We started the decade with only 34.6 per cent of consumers buying a small fuel-efficient vehicle. We finished the decade with 50.8 per cent buying a small, fuel-efficient vehicle.”

DesRosiers said green is also the theme of small, nascent automotive players, like Spokane, Wash.-based Commuter Cars, which produces the electric two-seater Tango.

President and founder, Rick Woodbury, talked enthusiastically of a vehicle he invented with the help of his son Bryan.

“We consider it, unequivocally, the world’s fastest car, probably the world’s safest car,” Woodbury said.

“You’ll think that’s crazy because it looks so small. But, the doors have four times more steel in them than the largest SUV.

“This is a full NASCAR-style roll cage. It’s certified for racing at 200 miles an hour, so it’s a complete cage just like a race car.”

Featuring tandem seating for two, the Tango is eight feet, five inches long, 39 inches wide, and weighs 3,000 pounds. It can accelerate from zero to 60 m.p.h. in about four seconds and can manoeuvre through traffic like a motorcycle. In jurisdictions like California, where lane-splitting is permitted, the Tango can travel along the white line between the separate lanes.

Though the price tag of more than $100,000 a vehicle is prohibitive, Woodbury hopes exposure attained from premiere auto shows will generate the kind of buzz that could lead to big-time investors interested in mass producing the car. Mass production would bring the car’s price tag down to about $20,000, said Woodbury.

For the first time, Magna International will stage an exhibit highlighting green car technologies, as well as introducing its “E-Car Systems,” which focus on electrification capabilities, said Don Walker, co-CEO of Magna International.

“The exhibit coincides with Magna’s strategy to strengthen its position as a leader in hybrid and electric vehicle development and products,” he said.

“The global trends towards CO2 reduction and improved fuel economy are important drivers of future growth in hybrid and electric vehicles,” Walker said. “We have been enhancing our capability in this area by developing systems such as electric motors and motor control units, chargers, electric pumps, electric drivetrain and lithium ion battery packs.”