Car shows

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

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

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

It has become de rigeur for automakers to pay lip service to a future of alternative fuels and increased efficiency, and Ford's CEO Alan Mulally chipped in his two cents here on the first day of the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. Aside from his commitment to deliver a line of vehicles that "people do want and people do value", Mulally said that he wanted to "start a discussion" about sustainability, fuel economy, and energy security. In the near term, Mulally said Ford plans to offers more turbo-charged gasoline direct-injection engines, lighter-weight cars, and new … Read more

Audi plans to unveil a two-door four-seater concept car with a soft top at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.

The Audi Cross Cabriolet, which Audi says is a mini car/SUV, will have a 240-horsepower 3-liter engine.

But here's the neat thing. The four-wheel drive car will have an electric ride-height adjustment. Audi says it's for driving on different types of terrain, but I'm thinking it's just one of those things people won't be able to resist playing with. The car is also shown in a wild copper color.

Audi says that the … Read more

Closing in on Paso Robles, Calif., we are well on our way to the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. Toyota handed us a brand new 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid for the trip, so we expect to get good mileage along the way, although right now it has dipped under 24 mpg, to 23.5. This car's rated mileage is 25 mpg on the highway and 27 mpg in the city, and in Los Angeles traffic, we expect it to do very well. We got the car this morning, an hour before we were to leave, and we were disappointed. … Read more

The Los Angeles Auto Show runs from November 16 through November 25 this year and plays host to 40 world and North American debuts. We've picked up some advance information on these cars and have photos of the highlights for you here. We will cover the show during the advance press preview and give you detailed information on the Car Tech blog.

Check out our 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show coverage starting November 14.

Click here for preview photos of the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Cadillac gives a nod towards the environmental set with its all-new hybrid Cadillac Escalade, which gets a 50 percent fuel economy improvement over the standard Escalade. The Escalade has been a symbol of conspicuous consumption, so it seems surprising that Cadillac would outfit it with a gas-saving hybrid powertrain. But this hybrid system, developed in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz and BMW, works very well, and won't detract from the Escalade's luxury image. We've driven a GMC Yukon Hybrid using this same system and came away impressed. Starting out, the truck drives like a Prius, under electric power up … Read more

BMW unveiled two completely new motorcycles and two revised models at the 2007 EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan on Wednesday.

The much-anticipated BMW F 800 GS is a middle-weight motorcycle capable of being taken for the occasional off-road shortcut, while the new G 450 X is an off-road racer.

Meanwhile, the R 1200 GS and its heftier counterpart, the R 1200 GS Adventure, have been updated for better endurance. The Adventure also includes a gas tank that doing an average of 56 mph should take you 466 miles before you need to refuel.

Click here for full gallery on the bikes.… Read more