Fewer are the who-knows-if-they’ll-build-it bleeding-edge green vehicle concepts, but every automaker is making a continued and resounding nod toward the idea of cutting emissions and raising fuel economy.

Over 1,000 vehicles are on display at the 900,000 square-foot Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Westside Manhattan, and observers have said things like “green” is now “mainstream,” and while that’s true in a qualified sense, we could put a finer point on it.

It’s a given that fuel-efficiency and zero-emissions mandates here and abroad are shaping every automaker’s plans and they all are at least make some semblance of snapping to in the new order of things.

Underlying the whole state of affairs are ecological concerns, the understanding that cheap, easy flowing oil production has peaked, and desire to save money at the pump – or eliminate the pump altogether.

Society is trying to take better care of itself, the environment, and climate, and the general push is to improve transportation for present and future generations.

But rather than say green is now mainstream, in some ways we’d contend it’s not actually – it’s not any more mainstream than, say, counting calories or a healthy diet is mainstream over fast food. Arguably it is, but then you have lots of exceptions as we also have an “obesity epidemic” in the face of more available information and choices on healthy living than ever before.

Similarly, there are some who “get it” about the green car movement in its various forms, and people to varying degrees have bought into the ethos. At the same time, there are many others who are giving high-performance cars and uber-luxury and off-road capable machines all the more of a last hurrah – if it really is their “last” hurrah” or a defiant holding on.

Threatened with the extinction of the excessive, lots of people are actually reaffirming their love for the outlandish, the audacious, the ostentatious and over-the top expressions of the now-mature automaker’s technology capable of producing dream machines.

There is a definite push-back in “mainstream” culture with what in some quarters is perceived as the threat of electric cars, penny pinching hybrids, and loosely related “clean” technologies that some fear may propose to take all the fun away from cars and trucks.

So, as sustainable and environmentally conscious choices continue to be introduced, there are those clinging all-the-more to faster, more powerful, more raucous and wasteful expressions of the carbuilder’s art.

As such, more vehicles today are available for the cost of a nice house in the suburbs, or with over 500 horsepower than have ever been, even as we also have more production electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids, and “clean diesels” now and promised.

So you can pick your metaphor to describe the diverse state of the culture today.

Looking at it from a culinary angle, the tasty automotive fare on display in New York this week is like a trip to a gourmet restaurant with lots of fattening but delicious treats to be had.

At the same time, the green cars are like green healthy vegetables and other modest, lean portions for those who eat to live, and do not live to eat – or drive.

Tesla’s Model S is not on display this year, and it could be seen as a sort of exception to the myth that “green” means less fun. After all, even some car fans who know next to nothing about EVs may know Tesla’s electric car beat a Dodge Viper and BMW M5 in a drag race, and handles and brakes well too.

So any perceived threat of a lost fun factor is not entirely valid, but other green cars do trade fun for frugality, and the price for electrified fun is higher than many a high-performance gas car that can serve up a modicum of adrenaline for less.

So, at New York, we see plenty of rolling celebrations of the traditional, but at the same time – and in a way similar to how many people realize it might be better to go on a diet – people have thoughts about whether they too can or should go automotively green.

It is proposed as a better choice, after all, right? For those thinking like this, a question becomes where is the tipping point?

Short of early adopters who anticipated the advent of electrification, and embrace and even idolize electric or hybrid cars, those who follow are also catching on. They are considering what’s out there, whether they want to take the plunge, and how deep they want to go.

And, there is still a sizable number who know very little about “green” technologies. And among those who do know about hybrids, EVs and the like, there prevails a wide disparity of understanding – as well as held-onto myths, conjecture, sheer ignorance, and misconception.

A quick look at the sales numbers for alternative energy vehicles is more telling. The alternative vehicle market is still only 3-4 percent of the North American total. Does that define “mainstream?” Not in our book.

What we have today is kind of like what happened in the 60s and 70s when large numbers of people first started cuing in to the benefits of eating healthy, and public perceptions shifted one person at a time.

Today we still have fast food restaurants and junk food sales are a multi-billion dollar industry. For that matter, we also have millions of people who take recreational drugs, or smoke, or never exercise even though they’ve heard there may be better choices for their long-term well being.

As the expression goes, “pick your poison,” and perverse as it may sound, a lot of people do not do what is absolutely best for themselves, or most “rational” and “well informed,” and this includes their sense and sensibility toward cars and trucks.

The push to take “green cars” mainstream is working like a carrot-and-stick effort, and the horse is moving forward slowly but surely.

It is all happening, and fortunately, alternative energy manufacturers are building on the backs of previous innovators. They are merging into their new offerings as much fun, innovative design, and convenience as possible.

Electrified plug-in cars are being rolled out, but as we’ve seen with “compliance cars” meant to satisfy regulators, in some cases they are being made and sold by tentative automakers who feel a proverbial gun to their own head.

And, as marketers, they know there is resistance; the lower hanging fruit is selling cars their sales force can understand, the consumer thinks looks affordable and good enough. This may mean only a more economical car and not a hybrid or plug-in variety.

One could also argue the pain at the pump today is not great enough to make some automakers go crazy in proliferating their lineup with more choices.

A prime example is GM, which rushed the Chevrolet Volt to market, then introduced a more expensive Cadillac version that does not perform much different, and no other down market variants as of yet. Its only all-electric car is the pending Spark EV, and it is otherwise proliferating mild hybrids while it aims primarily for its bread-and-butter buyers, while also serving up new variants to the 500-horsepower club, like the newly revived, and introduced just-yesterday Z/28 Camaro, a turnkey trackday car.

This is not to pick on GM, as every automaker is constrained to make a buck, and not stick its neck out too far into what is still an emerging market and technology needing to evolve.

It and other automakers are making plenty of positive noises also about what they are doing behind the scenes, and take pains to show they know their future products must be efficient and clean.

This is true of the Europeans, Koreans, Americans and Japanese to one degree or the other.

There is a technological race on, even if we are not sure who is really competing to win, or if they have entries in entirely different arenas as well.

The New York International Auto Show is a latest touchstone of the continuing process. It might even be a good thing that actual production cars are being shown, with improved mpg across the board, instead of cars that only tease, but will never be built.

Or alternatively, maybe it shows the inspiration to introduce new gee-whiz creations has momentarily lulled as now we are in this long-haul drive toward sustainability.

In any case, it is business as usual this week in New York; and motives and intentions in the push-pull interaction of the budding green car market are as diverse and cosmopolitan as the city itself.

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The Malibu Hybrid is clearly struggling, both in terms of volume and a share of the total Malibu line. There is little mystery here as the pricing of this product and the fuel economy relative to its competitors is not favorable. As GM comes out with a rush re-do of the Malibu this fall, an adjustment of the pricing increment (sooner rather than later) would likely lead to higher sales.

Ford’s C-Max and Fusion hybrids continue to sell well, with Fusion hybrid sales running at 15 percent of total vehicle sales, slightly higher than the Camry hybrid’s share of that nameplate. Total sales of each of the Fusion and Camry hybrids by the end of the year should be substantial.

The Lexus ES hybrid remains steady at 25 percent of sales and is likely to exceed 15,000 sales annually. The Avalon hybrid has reached 25 percent of total Avalon sales, and annual volume of almost 20,000 units is possible.

Based on more information from Tesla, we have updated our estimates of Model S sales in prior months and we continue to estimate monthly sales (albeit with more information behind those estimates).

The Ford Fusion Energi (plug in) debuted in February with 119 sales.

The Prius plug in has declined in the last two months, presumably due to availability. The LEAF has the same problem as the Tennessee facility continues to ramp up production.Volt production has increased and we now see a corresponding recovery in sales, with more expected in coming months.

Remarkably, Mitsubishi sold more of its 2012 i-MiEV in February than it has yet with 337 units delivered. This is true despite the fact that the 2012 model is still being sold in 2013, and Mitsubishi has no plans to introduce a 2013 model at all this year.

Apparently, Mitsu dealers are offering deals, and word of mouth is spreading. While the i-MiEV struggled all last year, it has now cracked 257 units in January, and 337 in February – a big increase from 77 in December, 42 in November, 30-some from June through October, and generally low double-digit numbers since its U.S. launch December 2011.

Diesel share has declined modestly since November, as the number of available models has held steady in recent months. The launch of the Chevrolet Cruze and Jeep Grand Cherokee in coming months will reverse this trend.

Hybrid sales, February 2013.

Plug-in sales, February 2013.

Clean Diesel sales, February 2013.

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January is generally a slow month in auto sales, as buyers and automakers offer incentives to close out the year in December, resulting in payback in January.

This was particularly true for plug-in vehicle sales, as many buyers bought in December to qualify for tax deductability on their 2012 return. While overall sales declined 23 percent from December, plug-in sales declined at a 39.5 percent rate. However, when compared to January 2012, plug-in sales grew significantly more than overall sales, although the absolute volumes were modest.

In December, plug-ins represented 0.57 percent of total sales. In January, this rate declined to 0.42 percent, which was above all rates prior to September 2012.

The Nissan Leaf will be limited in the first quarter given curtailed supplies from Japan and Tennessee, which will not ramp up to “regular” volumes until March or April.

Volt volumes were down due to both product availability and incentive activity in December that pulled sales ahead.

The Accord Plug-in hybrid launched this month with two (2) sales and will obviously increase as production ramps up.

Hybrid sales were in line with overall sales, down 20.8 percent from December versus the overall rate of decline of 23.0 percent. Since hybrids are not subject to tax deduction, there is no incentive to buy these vehicles before year end.

The 3.3-percent share is the highest since April 2012 and is in part due to new entrants in recent months including the VW Jetta Hybrid, Toyota Avalon Hybrid (over 20 percent of total Avalon sales), Mercedes E400 hybrid, Ford C-Max, and the Audi Q5 hybrid.

Midsize cars like the Prius, Camry, and Fusion are the most popular hybrid vehicles, but the C-Max and Prius c and v are also doing well.

Diesel volumes fell 31 percent from December, below the overall 23-percent decline. However, compared to year-ago, diesels did well. The Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel will appear soon, as will the Chevy Cruze.

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With an EPA-rated 53-mpg city, and 46-mpg highway, ACEEE gave the Prius a score of 58, just one point higher than the electric powertrain Honda Fit. The standard model Prius, known as the Liftback, scored 55, tying with the Prius Plug-in Hybrid and Honda Civic Hybrid.

Despite this ringing endorsement from an environmental body, consumer watchdog publication Consumer Reports has a different take on the Prius c.

In mid-2012 CR named the Prius c as a “car to avoid,” citing observed fuel economy of 37 mpg city, and 43 mpg overall, saying this was just 1 mpg shy of the larger Prius Liftback.

Other complaints by the magazine were that the c lacked all-around quality, and suffered from “a stiff ride, noisy cabin, slow acceleration, and cheap-looking interior trim.”

ACEEE notes that this year, conventional vehicles were largely knocked off the “Greenest” list by hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid-electric, and all-electric vehicles. The Scion IQ and Smart ForTwo are the only non-hybrid, non-plug-in vehicles to remain on the list. Even the eight-time first-place Honda Civic Natural Gas vehicle was pushed out of the top twelve in 2013.

“The vehicles at the top of this year’s rankings are proof that automakers are really ramping up their offerings,” said ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan.

“There are more hybrid and electric options on the market this year than ever before and the race for a spot on the Greenest list is increasingly competitive. Automakers have revamped their offerings to meet the growing demand for efficient vehicles and new fuel economy standards,” Vaidyanathan said in a release.

Green cars are naturally a highlighted topic of ACEEE, but the group also has a list for those vehicles at the opposite end of the green scale.

Called the Meanest Vehicles for the Environment for 2013, this list recognizes cars and trucks that provide notably low fuel economy numbers.

Topping the Meanest list is Ford’s F-350FFV pickup truck with a lowest Green Score of 17, in large part for its 11-mpg city, 16-mpg highway. Also scoring 17 is the Ford F-250FFV pickup, and the Ford E-350 Wagon van.

Exotic vehicles like the crazy expensive and stupendously fast Bugatti Veyron are also on the Meanest list, and manage a slightly “greener” score than the Ford trucks.

In a bit of irony, Ford also has three vehicles on the Greenest list: the Focus, Fusion Hybrid, and C-MAX Hybrid.

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