DRIVERS PASS UP FLASH FOR FUNCTION HIGH GAS PRICES MAKE HYBRIDS STAR OF THE SHOW.Byline: BRENT HOPKINS Staff Writer At the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Auto Show An auto show, or motor show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is commonly attended by automobile manufacturers. Most auto shows occur once or twice a year. , where big engines once ruled and horsepower was king, cushy cush·y adj. cush·i·er, cush·i·est Informal Making few demands; comfortable: a cushy job. [Origin unknown. seats and stereo gadgets now hog the spotlight. In the heady days of sub-$2 gasoline, automakers used the annual show -- which will open to the public Friday -- to highlight their biggest, fastest and loudest machines. This year, with hybrids all the rage General Public's All the Rage was released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Track listing
General Motors hung its Chevrolet Corvette corvette, small warship, classed between a frigate and a sloop-of-war. Corvettes usually were flush-decked and carried fewer than 28 guns. They were widely employed in escorting convoys and attacking merchant ships during the great naval wars of the late 18th and from the ceiling of the Convention Center and instead talked up its Buick Enclave The Buick Enclave (and similar GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook) is a full-size crossover SUV launched for the 2008 model year by the Buick division of General Motors. The three vehicles share the new GM Lambda platform. crossover. Ford brought a showy show·y adj. show·i·er, show·i·est 1. Making an imposing or aesthetically pleasing display; striking: showy flowers. 2. Mustang concept car but drew just as large a crowd to listen to fabric engineers for its new Escape. Practicality was the word of the day. ``You spend way too much time in your vehicle to have it be an unpleasant experience,'' said Ataf Farah, a product launch manager for Ford. ``L.A.'s the scariest place I've ever seen for traffic. It takes an hour and a half to go six miles, so you want something comfortable.'' So her company's big push was the 2008 Ford Escape and Escape Hybrid -- plusher, sleeker versions of the small sport utility vehicle. The carmaker handed out swatches of the recycled fabric it uses to line the cabin and played up the audio jack that lets drivers plug in their iPods while they lurch through traffic in relative comfort. While the automotive trade press dashed after concept cars and new models, companies were more than content to talk about their more staid offerings, which consumers are far more likely to end up buying after they play around with them at the show. ``A car for the Everyman?'' mused Keith Price, public-relations manager for products and technology for Volkswagen. ``Well, Volkswagen's current success is because of a return to its roots like this Rabbit.'' The German manufacturer had a Tiguan concept, which it bills as a cross between a tiger and an iguana iguana (ĭgwä`nə), name for several large lizards of the family Iguanidae, found in tropical America and the Galapagos. The common iguana (Iguana iguana , a squat, muscular-looking vehicle. But it drew just as much interest as the relaunched compact Rabbit. Though not particularly fanciful, it's cars like that that pay the automaker's bills. Price noted that VW's sales have risen 10percent recently in the face of an overall industry decline. Toyota offered up one of the show's least-expensive models, proudly showing its $10,874 price tag and 40miles-per-gallon highway efficiency rating. With a four-cylinder engine pumping out 106 horsepower, the tiny Yaris will never be mistaken for a hot car. And yet, spokeswoman Denise Morrissey said, the hatchback has proved to be surprisingly popular. ``It's marketed to the entry-level buyer, but it's actually been hard to keep on dealer lots,'' she said. ``In times like this, people want things like fuel efficiency. It's cute, and it's a lot of fun. ... It's a great vehicle that's not going to break the bank.'' GM, long criticized for its slow adoption of hybrids, trucked out a slew of fuel-efficient vehicles. Sports cars barely warranted a mention in its product talk, but the manufacturer trumpeted its Saturn Green Line vehicles, which add hybrid options to its Vue SUV and Aura sedan. Though scant on details, it announced that it plans to offer a plug-in version of the Vue Green Line, which would allow drivers to jack into power outlets at home and charge up their batteries, making for nearly completely electric driving within the city. Even its massive Tahoe and Yukon SUVs made their hybrid debuts, marking a dramatic shift toward a technology the company publicly eschewed only several years ago. The company didn't totally turn its back on performance, however, still bringing its Camaro concept, but it saved the bulk of its talking time Talking Time (released commercially September 2006 in Australia, Canada, USA & NZ), is a DVD program in which Australian television personality and now former host of the Australian Nine Network interactive quiz show Quizmania, Amy Parks interacts with a collection of puppets, the program for less flashy fare such as its Buick Enclave crossover. ``We've got to appeal to the entry-level consumer and the retired CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. ,'' said Scott Settlemire, manager of shows and exhibits for Chevrolet. ``So we've got to bring just about everything.'' brent.hopkins@dailynews.com (818) 713-3738 If you go to the show When: Runs from Friday through Dec. 10. Where: Los Angeles Convention Center The Los Angeles Convention Center (abbreviated LACC) is a convention center in downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, and was best known to video games fans as host to E3 until its cessation in 2006. , 1201 S. Figueroa St. Hours: Fridays, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sundays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Admission: Adults -- $10; children -- 12 and younger free when accompanied by an adult; seniors (65 and older) -- $7 on weekdays. For details on parking, go to LAautoshow.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Volkswagen shows off its 2008 Tiguan above, at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday at the Convention Center. Below, the side-view mirror of the Spyker C8 Spyder can be seen at the show. (3) Paul VanValkenburgh, a writer for Road & Track magazine, inspects the Tahoe Hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Michael Owen
(4 -- color) The most-affordable car we found: Toyota Yaris Toyota Yaris may refer to export versions of:
Engine: 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder Horsepower: 106 hp Top Speed: 118 mph 0-60 MPH time: Not advertised MPG: 34 mpg city; 40 mpg highway Fun fact: For the price of one Veyron, you could purchase 128 Yarises (5 -- color) The most-expensive car we found: Bugatti Veyron The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. The Bugatti Veyron 16. 16.4 $1.4 million Engine: 8-liter, 16-cylinder, quad-turbo Horsepower: 1001 hp Top Speed: 253 MPH 0-60 MPH time: 2.5 seconds MPG: 4.8 mpg city, 10 mpg highway Fun fact: Its Burmester stereo, which comes standard, costs more than most regular cars Box: If you go to the show (see text) |
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