New York Times: About 98 percent of the vehicles sold in the United States last year were powered by conventional gasoline engines, and hybrids occupied just a tiny niche. But at the opening Monday of the big Detroit auto show, the internal-combustion engine seemed almost passé. The world`s automakers unveiled a number of hybrid gas-electric and battery-powered models, several of which might not be available for years to come. It is a telling sign of how much emphasis that car companies …