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Renault officials at the Paris auto show said the French car maker would build a pure electric version of the Fluence, a mid-size sedan. Sales could hit 40,000 in 2011, they say.

So is Renault on track to become the world's largest producer of electric road vehicles? Perhaps.

But Renault will face some competition. All over the show, auto makers were touting gasoline- and diesel-electric hybrids, plug-in hybrids, pure electric cars and even hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Soaring fuel prices, the need for carbon-dioxide reduction, shifting consumer tastes and ever-stricter government regulations have car makers pushing the limits of their technological capabilities.

Even big premium car makers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz pushed hard their coming "green" cars.

Take BMW's new 7-series. BMW showed a "mild" hybrid version of the coming revamped 7-series luxury saloon as part of the car's world debut in Paris.

The hybrid version lowers fuel consumption and emissions by 15 per cent compared with the equivalent gasoline model. It still uses a 5.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V-8, but it is supplemented by a 20-horsepower electric motor that provides additional acceleration and serves as a generator.

That, along with converted energy created by the process of braking, is stored in a lithium-ion battery on board. The hybrid version will go on sale early next year.

BMW's effort seemed mild compared to Opel's announcement. General Motors' German subsidiary said it will sell a version of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car. The Volt will go on sale in late 2010, followed months later by an Opel version of the car.

Then there was the French Peugeot-Citroën group. It displayed two concept cars, the Prologue diesel-electric and RC gasoline-electric models. In addition, Citroën's Hypnos concept showed off SUV-like roominess and saloon-car lines in a vehicle using diesel-electric hybrid power.

Meanwhile, Mercedes' Smart division announced plans to build all-electric vehicles for Europe by the end of the decade.

On top of that, Mercedes showed the S400 BlueHybrid powered by a 275-horsepower, 3.5-litre V-6 and a 15-kilowatt electric motor with a lithium-battery pack. Mercedes said it will be the world's most economical luxury car with a gasoline engine.

"This is just the beginning," said Dieter Zetsche, chief executive officer of Mercedes' parent Daimler AG. "With this technology, we can hybridize all of our models in rapid succession. This car proves Mercedes will be able to downsize its emissions without downsizing its products."

Nissan, for its part, revealed its quirky bubble-shaped Nuvu concept, a proposal for an electric city car circa 2015. Nissan says many of the concept car's electric powertrain components will power the company's still-mysterious electric vehicle planned for 2010.

Toyota is also working on electric cars, but sounded a cautious note. The plug-equipped version of the Prius shown here has a lithium battery, but Toyota types said this plug-in hybrid is strictly a research program; Toyota has no immediate plans to put plug-in technology into production.