Vehicles in the future will be lighter, able to drive themselves, and run longer on a single battery charge, based on models in the spotlight at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The innovations show an auto industry in energy flux. With electric cars that can travel 200 miles between charges, trucks made of lighter material that boost fuel efficiency, and advances in self-driving vehicles, the picture of road travel on display suggests a world of ever decreasing fuel use even as U.S. gasoline prices hit six-year lows.

The auto extravaganza at the Cobo Center features both legacy automakers and California-based electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors, which cannot operate retail stores in Michigan because of dealership franchise rules.

Tesla CEO