In an ironic reversal of reputations, GM revived its once-failed idea of an electric car for the masses, while Toyota, lauded for its environmentally friendly cars, showed off a new version of its largest brawny full-size pickup yet.

As expected, GM unveiled the Chevrolet Volt (pictured left, courtesy of the North American International Auto Show Web site), a new concept car designed to use little or no gasoline by drawing power from a next-generation battery pack that would offer consumers 40 miles of driving a day. 

BusinessWeek magazine said production of the car, which will boast the capability of being charged with a standard electric outlet, would be a major shift in strategy for the automaker. Plug-in hybrids are a favorite of many environmentalists.

GM has been stung in the past by criticism — including a new documentary movie last year – that it conspired to kill the EV1, an experimental electric vehicle program it discontinued in 2003. GM CEO Rick Wagoner also said the automaker would be open to partnerships with rivals to further its hybrid technology development.

Toyota’s Prius sedan popularized gas-electric hybrid vehicles that twin battery power and a combustion engine for improved gas mileage, but the Japanese automaker chose to emphasize its Tundra pickup at the show. The 2007 Tundra CrewMax (pictured right) is a version of the big pickup offering the largest cab space. 

Meanwhile, Honda Motor said it also is considering adding a plug-in electric hybrid vehicle to its lineup, Toyota said it expected its U.S. hybrid sales to grow as much as 57 percent this year and Nissan reiterated expectations of having its own hybrid technology, which could include plug-in technology, on U.S. roads by 2010. Details of these stories can be found in Reuters coverage of the show.

(PHOTO: Reuters)