By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

According to consulting firm KPMG, nearly two-thirds of respondants to its annual Automotive Executive Survey believe that electric, range-extended electrics and hybrid-electric vehicles will not grow beyond 15 per cent of sales for at least another decade. That opinion reflects the marketplace's lukewarm response to the latest generation of electrified vehicles thanks to high transaction prices, unpredictable range, an incomplete charging infrastructure and more.

Apparently executives in Japan and China have the greatest belief in 'pure' EVs - i.e. those powered by a battery - while members from Brazil, India and Russia (the remaining BRIC nations) believe that hydrogen fuel-cell electrics will draw more customers into showrooms.

Just goes to show that despite all the goodwill and hype, EVs are still a long way from being real alternatives to fossil-fuel burning engines. And given the huge gains in power, efficiency and economy recently made in gasoline-powered engines, there's still very little push for customers to change their habits.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Well, Ford's sole ownership of the small cargo van market with the Transit Connect is under fire. Nissan displayed the commercial version of its compact NV200, which was recently chosen to be the next-generation taxi vehicle for New York City.

Like the Transit Connect, the NV200 is based on a small front-wheel-drive platform with MacPherson struts up front and a space-saving leaf-spring setup out back. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and continually variable transmission (CVT) will be familiar to Sentra owners, and while no specific output was confirmed, expect it to peak around 150 horsepower.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Apparently so. A woman in Los Angeles believes that the highly reflective energy efficient windows in a neighbouring condo are the cause of her Toyota Prius' damaged door mirrors. The reflected sunlight, even on a partially cloudy day, somehow became focused on the plastic bits on her car, and melted them.

And then damaged another car parked nearby...

According to the local CBS affiliate, she's not alone. "Reports across the country have alleged damages brought on by concentrated sunlight reflected off of energy efficient windows," says the network. "The National Association of Home Builders is now conducting a study on the matter."

Check out the woman's claim here.

Maybe this finally gives us an excuse for fully-chroming cars! Seriously, though, 120 degrees F wouldn't seem to be enough to melt the kind of plastic used on modern Toyotas and the rest... It would need to be a 'repeat offender' for sure.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

I know, I know... we've covered Super Bowl commercials to death last week in the run-up to this year's big game. But one spot that's really impressed is music supergroup OK Go using a Chevrolet Sonic hatch to create the 'music' behind the band's latest single, Needing/Getting.

OK Go are tied to using social media and other digital tools to get their intensely choreographed videos out to their fans, but this one blows out all other previous efforts.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

In honour of this weekend's 'big game', MSN Autos Canada will have a story focusing on some of the classic celebrity tie-ups with car companies, but there are plenty of popular Super Bowl ads that have no big name stars involved. They relied on clever scripts or just the buzz surrounding a new vehicle to deliver success.

This Kia Soul ad slays me. Love the hamsters, love the Black Sheep soundtrack. Love the suggestion that every other competitor is either an old appliance or a beige box. And it's hilarious.

So what's your favourite?

Thanks to Complex.com for the video...

By John LeBlanc for MSN Autos

You don’t have to be a sports fan to know the National Football League’s championship game is this Sunday. As one of the most-watched television events annually, companies looking to make a big marketing splash have coveted the game’s half-time commercial spots for years. And with sales rebounding in the U.S., automakers have jumped on Super Bowl ad bandwagon this year in a big way.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

We all know that bad math can cost you thousands when picking a car. Guess wrong on the running costs, the insurance payments, or any other variable, and it won't do your wallet any good.

That's what the old argument against hybrid vehicles has been - the fuel savings over a similarly sized gasoline-powered vehicle can't overcome the price premium required. So using the magic of the internet, Toyota, whose push towards hybrids has been long and steady, finally put the numbers together for customers to see.

The Hybridizer is easy to use and lets users choose from four different types of vehicles - gas only, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, pure electric - and compare how they would do in various driving situations. Everything from the daily commute to the weekend run to the cottage, to a 1,000-km road trip. As you might have guessed, the pair of hybrids seem to come up aces more often than not... But it's still a worthy exercise.

To entice people to give the Hybridizer a shot, Toyota will give five winners the chance to drive a Prius Plug-In Hybrid model for a week. Follow the link, follow the instructions, and explain to Toyota why you should be given the chance... Contest closes at the end of April.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Gotta love the minor differences between Canadian provinces and territories when it comes to annual vehicle inspections or certifications. Sometimes it's the smallest things that can bring nothing more than wasteful financial outlays.

Cousins of mine just moved from north of Toronto back to Fredericton right after New Years, and after a couple weeks getting their new house in order, decided it was time to switch over their driver's licences and get New Brunswick plates for their two vehicles.

The 2005 Chevrolet Malibu had no trouble passing the provincial inspection, but they were given a conditional fail on their nearly new 2011 Kia Rondo. Huh?

Turns out the dealer in Ontario had sold them on window tinting; the rear doors and cargo area were pretty dark, but it was the barely altered front door windows that the inspectors took issue with. Apparently, front-window tints are now illegal in NB after years of allowing 14 per cent tints. Not sure what inspired the provincial government to make the changes, but that's left them with a pricey bill. They have two weeks to get the tint removed and have the Kia reinspected...

I understand that they took it upon themselves to alter the vehicle beyond how it was delivered from the manufacturer... Have you ever had issues like this? Or bought an out-of-province car that needed to be alterered before you could register it? Let us know!

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

When it comes to buying highly 'specialized' one-use items for our daughter, my wife and I usually try and find a simpler way out. While other friends and family members bought complicated non-slip, wipe-clean car-seat protectors to keep stains off their car's upholstery, we simply used a towel. Not as glamourous, but does the job just fine!

Now our daughter's finally tall enough to start kicking our seat-backs and her wet and dirty boots are leaving marks and stains. If it were only our car, that's something I could live with, but because I regularly get press cars this is something we can't ignore. If our Subaru looks shabby? Fine. But the Audi A7 that's our ride this week needs more protection.

I know there are products ready-made for this, but again, I'd be happy to try a home-grown solution first.

Any suggestions on what to do or what's worked for you in the past? Or should we just suck it up and pay?

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Perhaps forgotten or ignored during last week's all-out NAIAS content avalanche was a release from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) revealing the top-three finalists for the body's 2012 Canadian Car, Utility Vehicle and Design of the Year awards. 

For Car of the Year, Hyundai has both the Accent hatch and Elantra sedan, the latter of which was also recently named North American Car of the Year at NAIAS. The Kia Optima rounded out the contenders, making it the first all Korean category in the award's history.

For Utility Vehicle of the Year, the BMW X3, Dodge Journey and Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel caused less of a stir, mainly because there are only three Utilility categories to pull favourites from...

Finally, Design of the Year finalists are the funky three-door Hyundai Veloster, the brutal racecar-themed Jaguar XKR-S and the futuristic Range Rover Evoque.

Bing: Learn more about the Canadian Car of the Year awards

It would be silly to be against the Elantra for COY thanks to its obvious popularity with Canadian customers, but I've been wrong plenty of times before. For Utility Vehicle, my pick would be the Journey if only for its value-for-money argument. And the Jag gets my vote for best design.

Which would you choose?

Photo courtesy Michelle Siu for Automobile Journalists Association of Canada