In the past, American automakers have been leading in terms of sales and production output.  But today, the Big Three are being slowly overrun by Japan's version of the Big Three, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan.

The increased sales and production of the Japanese automakers can be attributed to their quick thinking and the ability to foresee the future.  While American automakers are busy developing bigger and faster vehicles with no concern for the price of fuel, the Japanese have been devising ways to make their engines more fuel efficient.

The Prius made the difference with its exemplary gas mileage rating.  The popularity of the Prius is so apparent that even celebrities are seen driving them around.  Last year, Toyota reported that they have sold more than a million hybrid vehicles, the biggest contributor being the Prius.

Now, American automakers are finally seeing the light and are developing vehicles which are as green as the Prius.  In fact, American automakers are boasting that they do not offer hybrids only but flex-fuel vehicles too.

Ed Peper, general manager of Chevrolet even went as far as saying that:  "Toyota only has one solution, the Prius and Camry hybrids.  It’s a good solution for them but not the only solution. At Chevy we offer five."  That includes flex-fuel vehicles which can run on gasoline or ethanol.

Now, the problem I see here is that there are very few refilling stations in the country which offers ethanol.  That means that most of the flex-fuel vehicles out there are just running on gasoline.  That's not really good is it?  So as far as I know, the Big Three talks the talk but they are still lagging behind Toyota and even Honda in terms of green vehicle production.