Style, mpg tech on display at Paris Motor Show

South Korean automaker Kia appears to be trying to dominate the Paris Motor Show, with a flood of announcements about more-practical, if less-vivacious models it's planning to unveil this week in Paris.

Kia promises 23 cars on its display stand at the show, though not every one will be spanking new.

They compete with the likes of a limited-product Ferrari convertible and a sleek Infiniti flagship sedan.

Most tantalizing among the Kias, perhaps, is a demonstration version of the elusive diesel-electric hybrid. The Kia setup is fitted to an Optima mid-size sedan. It's called Kia Optima T-Hybrid (for turbo hybrid) and uses a minuscule, 1.7-liter diesel.with both turbocharger and innovative supercharger.

A diesel uses less fuel than a similar-size gasoline engine, and makes more low-speed torque, which makes it superior in city and suburban traffic. Twinned with an electric motor as part of the hybrid system, the configuration suggests big savings on fuel costs.

But it's expensive, because diesels cost more to make that gasoline engines and are more expensive to outfit with the specialized emissions gear they require.

Volkswagen teased with a diesel-electric hybrid SUV called CrossBlue at the Detroit show in January 2013, but said then that the powertrain would be too expensive to make production.The vehicle, however, is to be built in the U.S. and aimed mainly at the North American market. Should arrive within a year.

Diesel-electric powertrains have been an alluring solution to mileage regulations since they turned out to be the only types of vehicles that could approach a target of 80 mpg in a family car as part of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles. It was a government-industry consortium intended to deliver 80-mpg family sedans by 2003. It was canceled in 2001 by the Bush administration at the urging of Detroit automakers.

General Motors came up with an 80-mpg diesel-electric, and Ford Motor and Chrysler each had 72-mpg offerings.

Kia's statement says, "No plans have been confirmed yet for mass production of the Kia Optima T-Hybrid show car. The T-Hybrid powertrain remains under consideration for new Kia models in the future." The same statement emphasizes the car's benefits in Europe, because that's where the show's held, but says nothing about Asian or North American markets.

The big day for debuts at Paris is Thursday, but automakers have been handing out photos and information for more than a week, including the shocking-yellow Ferrari 458 Special A and the Infiniti Q80 Inspiration.