Presidential candidate John McCain joined his rivals, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, at the Detroit auto show, gawking at the latest hybrid powered cars ahead of the hotly-contested Republican primary on Tuesday.

The Arizona senator and former fighter pilot seemed at ease sitting in Chrysler’s Dodge Zeo concept car (pictured right with Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli) with its batwing door and glass roof.

In what may or may not be foreshadowing of Tuesday’s vote, McCain sat in the driver’s seat. Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who has stumped for votes for McCain in several states, sat next to him and joked about wanting to own a version of the orange concept car.

McCain, like Romney and Huckabee, met with Nardelli and Chrysler co-President Jim Press, who later said McCain was very interested in alternative fuels and helping the automakers with legislation in Washington. Nardelli was the only CEO to meet with all three presidential candidates as Ford sent Mark Fields, head of the Americas, and General Motors sent a top Chevrolet executive. 

Romney, whose father was governor of Michigan and led a company that Chrysler eventually absorbed, spent the most time of the three at the show. When asked what kind of cars he prefers, he responded, “I love sporty cars.”

Romney said he owned a Ford Mustang, a Cadillac model from GM, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and a 1962 American Motors Rambler given to him by his children.

Huckabee (pictured left with wife in a Ford concept) said at the GM stand: “I drive a 1995 Silverado with 200,000 miles on it. It may be time to trade it in.” He added he would consider a hybrid.

Despite urging from some in the crowd to visit foreign automakers, all three candidates stuck to the stands of the Big 3 U.S. automakers, whose heavily unionized workers will be going to the polls on Tuesday.

(Photos: Reuters)