Will a lot more environmentally-friendly vehicles finally be cruising along United States highways in a few more years? That’s the ambitious plan of a new Los Angeles, California-based automotive company.

Hybrid Kinetic Motors (HK Motors) recently announced plans to construct a new green-vehicle manufacturing plant in Baldwin County, Alabama, partnering with other automotive companies in the anticipated large-scale venture.  Production is expected to commence in 2013, starting with an expected output of 300,000 vehicles.

“Our cutting-edge multi-fuel hybrid powertrain system delivers excellent performance while reducing CO2 emissions,” says HK Motors chairman Yung Benjamin Yeung. The company also hopes to help to revitalize the state’s economy by creating some 5,000 new jobs.

With the stagnation of the American auto industry as well as the mounting environmental concerns caused by fossil fuels,  green vehicles—commonly termed as ‘green cars’—are increasingly seen as the transport choice of the future. Green cars are primarily designed as smaller, lighter vehicles and use lower levels of energy.  These energy sources include alternative choices such as biofuels, electric motors, hydrogen and compressed air.

HK Motors plans to release affordable cars with a unique hybrid engine that utilizes compressed natural gas (CNG), electricity, and gasoline.  In particular, Yeung’s company aims to be a pioneer mass manufacturer of environmentally-friendly vehicles.  The company, though, is still a relative newcomer in its field compared to others. Worldwide car giant Toyota has been considered the most innovative green car manufacturer for the last decade, with its full-hybrid Prius a top-seller in the US market. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also considers it as the most fuel-efficient car.

But still, the introduction of another energy-efficient vehicle that saves on fuel and helps conserve much of the planet’s already limited energy resources is a welcome addition to a market that is increasingly looking for better alternatives. (Miles Tuason)

Sources: wikipedia.org, alabama.gov , green-car-guide.com