auto

Hyundai Concept Genesis Coupe steals the show

This year's Los Angeles Auto Show is notable for its conspicuous lack of exciting new models and concepts. One automaker to buck the trend, however, is Hyundai, which took the wraps off the best-looking car of the day when it unveiled its Concept Genesis Coupe.

The coupe is the second car to get the Genesis designation, following the Genesis Concept sedan unveiled earlier this year in New York and scheduled for production as a 2009 model.

Like the sedan, the Coupe is rear-wheel drive, and is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 that's making north of 300 horsepower.… Read more

Photos: VW Space Up Blue

Volkswagen is getting as much mileage as it can from its Up! concept microvan. After appearances at both the Frankfurt and Tokyo auto shows in recent months, the model made another appearance at this year's Los Angeles show in the form of the Space Up Blue concept. In contrast to the previous variants, the four-door Space Up Blue came with some drive-train details: it is powered by an energy network of a lithium-ion battery pack, a high-temperature hydrogen fuel cell, and a solar panel. Check out our slide show of the blue sky Blue here.

Photos: Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept

Audi unveiled one of the few concepts at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Cross Cabriolet Quattro. This car is an attempt to combine a convertible coupe with an SUV, exploring untapped ground in the design world. The car gets Audi's off-road equipment, including Quattro all-wheel-drive and ride height adjustment, along with the latest cabin gadgets, such as navigation integrated with Google Earth and a Bang & Olufsen audio system that can play Internet radio.

Click here for photos of the Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept.

Scion xD gets the claw

Some custom car modders put in massive engines, some load cars with LCDs, but Five Axis Design put a claw machine in a Scion xD, which is on display at the 2007 LA Auto Show. Looking through the back window of this specially modified Scion xD, you can gaze longingly at a pile of little stuffed toys. Start up the claw, and you have a limited amount of time to try to drop the claw on a stuffed prize by using the joystick mounted on the back of the car. If you are successful, the claw will drop the toy … Read more

The Beat goes on sale, but not in the U.S.

When GM showed off its Beat, Groove, and Trax micro-concepts in New York earlier this year, it said that it would produce the model that proved to be the most popular with the public. Today at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, we have a winner, as Chevrolet announced that it would produce the three-door Beat, which the automaker said had been the overwhelming favorite among online voters.

According to Chevy, the Beat will be aimed at "tech-savvy, young-at-heart" drivers, as evidenced by its pop-up navigation system. Unfortunately for those who like the look of the brawny hatchback, … Read more

Photos: 2009 Lincoln MKS debut

The new MKS is Lincoln's flagship luxury sedan, but it will have a base price below $40,000. Options such as all-wheel-drive and a slew of advanced cabin technology will push that price up. Cabin tech includes the Microsoft-developed Sync system, which lets you make hands-free cell phone calls and use voice command with your MP3 player. It will also have a touch-screen navigation system, adaptive cruise control, and a 5.1 surround-sound system designed by THX. The engine in the car is a newly developed 3.7-liter direct-injection turbocharged V-6.

Click here for photos of the 2009 Lincoln MKS.… Read more

Honda unveils FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle in LA

Honda used the first morning of the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show to unveil a production version of its FCX fuel cell vehicle. Dubbed the "FCX Clarity," the four-door sedan is powered by the same V Flow fuel cell platform found in Honda's FCX Concept, which is connected to a lithium-ion battery pack that, in turn, powers an electric motor. This drive train enables the car to run solely on compressed gaseous hydrogen with zero emissions. As in the Concept, the Clarity's fuel cell powertrain, which is 45 percent smaller than Honda's current-generation FCX, is … Read more

Chevy offers revised hybrid pickup

While it still won't get you the 45 mpg of a Toyota Prius, the new version of the Chevrolet Silverado hybrid may make you feel less guilty about driving a large pickup.

General Motors unveiled the 2009 Chevy Silverado hybrid at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.

The full-size pickup looks identical to the regular Silverado, but features guts that lessen its carbon footprint.

The 2007 Silverado hybrid, according to the EPA's fuel economy Web site, got about 15 mpg in the city and 19 mph on the highway. That's not much of an improvement over … Read more

VW Space Up concept takes hydrogen

Volkswagen introduced the Space Up to the U.S. press at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.

With its U.S. debut, Volkswagen has offered a little more information on the Space Up concept car, which was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo auto show in October.

The hybrid concept vehicle, which would run on a combination of compressed hydrogen fuel and lithium-ion batteries, would have a top speed of about 75 mph.

Its batteries could be recharged from common electrical outlets. On electrical battery power alone, the Space Up could travel about 155 miles, and on a full tank … Read more

Cruising into Los Angeles

We recounted the first part of our trip to the Los Angeles Auto Show previously. Continuing on down the coast towards Santa Barbara, it got darker as the day wore on and, as there was no automatic setting, we had to manually turn on the Highlander Hybrid's headlights. And we were holding around 24mpg, making a gas stop necessary on the way down. It was good mileage for an SUV, but not dramatic. We shifted seats periodically, giving everyone the opportunity to sit in the reclining rear seat.

We had taken Highway 101 down, a more scenic route than … Read more