detroit electric imageOffering a very different kind of social commentary than Eddy Grant’s thumping early 1980s classic “Electric Avenue,” the North American International Auto Show exhibit by the same name will surely feature the greenest of the green. The show is set to begin on Jan. 11 in downtown Detroit’s Cobo Center.

While the show has yet to release the names of all the cars to be parked on Electric Avenue — in fact, there is still time to display your new electric concept car there too — just before Christmas it was announced that the an electric version of the subcompact Fiat 500 will be among the likely cast of battery-powered characters including the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf.

In a post on the blog Gas2.0 published earlier today, Christopher DeMorro takes the opportunity to speculate on the future of Chrysler, the once-great American car giant now owned mostly by U.S. taxpayers and Italian auto maker Fiat.

DeMorro seems to mostly like the new electric Fiat 500 destined for American consumers:

While we’ve heard much and seen little thus far in regards to the future Chrysler lineup, the Detroit International Auto Show should give some hint as to the direction of Chrysler/Fiat.  One such car sure to make a big impression (in a small way) is the universally hailed Fiat 500 subcompact. This is about all Chrysler/Fiat will have to show off at Detroit, and are even foregoing holding a press conference. I guess an electric 500 will have to speak for itself. Car reviewers across the Atlantic have hailed the 500 as an excellent, compact commuter car. The 500 will be the only Fiat on sale in North America when it reaches our shores in 2011.

He goes on to ask and then (sorta) answer his own question about the new car’s likelihood of success in the U.S. market:

Does an electric Fiat 500 stand a chance? Chrysler canceled its short-lived ENVI program after just a few months, and made more realistic projections about how much of its fleet will be electrified in the new few years. Are they serious about an electric 500 now, or still putting on a show for their Washington overlords?

Also on Electric Avenue — no matter what I do, I can’t get the song out of my head! — Dow Chemical will be showcasing its advanced battery technology.

Last month, when Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne was in Detroit he said the company plans to make about 56,000 electric vehicles annually by 2014 and it was reported that the company “may base its initial model on the Fiat Doblo van” — not the Fiat 500. Go figure.

On a related note, in a story in today’s Detroit News, we learn that the rest of Chrysler’s lineup at the auto show will likely get shown up by the Ferraris and Maseratis nearby.

Who knows? Maybe not.