Industry update: what's hot what's not.

• Author: Namar, Robert
• Position: Cover story

The U.S. economy, though still anemic, is slowly sputtering toward recovery. Here's a snapshot of current developments and short-term expectations for corporate vitality and a jobs report across several industries and geographies.

U.S. Auto and Energy: Humming

Apparently convinced that the worst has passed, American automakers have put the pedal to the metal, as 2013 production lines are humming and new and better vehicles, with more choices for consumers, will soon be arriving on dealers' lots. According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts, automakers will be refreshing nearly 25 percent of their product lines each year from 2013 to 2016, an increase of 10 percent over the previous 10-year average.

In July, sales of new cars and trucks grew 8.9 percent to 1.15 million units, according to researcher Autodata Corp. The improvement, buoyed by gains for Japan's Toyota, Honda and Nissan, keeps the industry headed for annual deliveries of more than 14 million, the most in five years.

Also, as reported in Bloomberg News, Chrysler Group LLC, controlled by Italy's Fiat SpA, led gains for U.S.-based carmakers, with sales up 13 percent, as General Motors Co., the largest U.S. automaker, reported a 6.4 percent decline and Ford Motor Co. said sales fell 3.8 percent.

Alternative-fuel and electric cars are part of the mix, but despite the attention and government investment, sales have been less than, well, electric. The market appears to be lagging behind this innovation. And because of the challenges in refueling, natural gas cars represent only a tiny portion of private vehicles currently traveling U.S. roads.

Fueling a nation is as important to its economic growth as fueling cars. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, utilities are on target to burn 796 million tons of coal this year, down 14 percent from last year and the lowest production since 1992.

And while coal dominated U.S. power generation for decades as a cheap, abundant domestic resource, fracking--the process of increasing natural gas supplies by creating fractures in rock and rock formations--has rapidly made natural gas more abundant and cheaper than coal.

Monitoring and controlling energy is what smart grids do, delivering benefits to consumers and providers both. Importantly, smart grid technology provides a more reliable supply of electricity, along with reduced vulnerability to natural disasters or attack. Among the world leaders in the smart grid network industry are companies like General Electric Co. and Silver Spring Networks Inc., which has taken its first steps toward an initial public offering.

Tres Amigas LLC has begun an audacious plan to build a transmission hub in Texas connecting the nation's three major power grids. The company is positioning the super-station as a way to get more renewable energy on the grid, as the station can link intermittent clean power like solar and wind from remote regions and connect it to cities that will use it.

Saving energy is on the minds, and balance sheets, of many new and growing companies. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that about three-quarters of business establishments reported the use of at least one green technology or practice during 2011. Solar and green buildings are projected to continue their growth in corning years, with the $4.6 billion solar manufacturing industry estimated...