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For the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, Ferrari showed off two variations on previous models. The 430 Scuderia is based on the F430, but significantly lightened and given a new transmission to give it track performance on par with Ferrari's Enzo model. Where the 430 Scuderia emphasizes performance, the 612 Sessanta emphasizes luxury. The latter is a collector's edition, based on the 612 Scaglietti, marking Ferrari's 60th anniversary.

Click here for photos of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and 612 Sessanta.

KIA, which showed off new concept cars at the recent Frankfurt and Tokyo auto shows, brought another one out at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. The KND-4 shows off KIA's exploration of what a future compact SUV might look like. The front of the car, with its raked windshield, is reminiscent of the Mazda CX-7, and uses LED headlights in true futuristic concept car style. The rear of the car is squared off, maximizing cargo room. The entire vehicle sits up high on 20-inch wheels, but it is less than 15 feet long. It seats four in individual seats inside its high-tech cabin. It has two organic LED screens in the dashboard for navigation, video, and Bluetooth-connected cell phones. The KND-4 uses a 2.2-liter turbocharged diesel engine sending power to all four wheels.

At a small booth in one of the hallways of the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, Callaway displayed its new C16 Speedster. The Speedster, which was introduced last summer, completes Callaway's C16 lineup. Previous models are a Cabrio and a Coupe, but neither look as unique as the Speedster. The C16s rely on a Corvette chassis, but in the case of the Speedster, the body is original. Its open cockpit hearkens back to 1950s race cars. For safety, carbon fiber helmets are always available for the driver and passenger, and are stored behind the seats. Under the hood sits a Callaway-built engine, a 700 horsepower 6.2-liter powerplant that runs the car to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. The C16 Speedster also incorporates some interesting tech notes. Instead of door handles, the car has touch-sensitive pads that open the doors. These touch pads become active when the smart key is within 3 meters. Instead of rear-view mirrors, the car uses three rear-facing cameras displaying their images on an LCD in the cabin. At $305,000 each, don't expect to see a lot of C16 Speedsters on the streets.

At the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, Green Car Journal's Green Car of the Year award was given to the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. The Tahoe Hybrid is the largest car to win the award, with past winners including the Toyota Prius and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The newly introduced Tahoe Hybrid uses a dual-mode hybrid system developed by GM, Daimler-Chrysler, and BMW. GM is the first company to bring cars with this system to market. The Tahoe Hybrid uses a 6-liter V-8 gas engine in conjunction with electric motors for propulsion. The motors get electricity from a battery pack which gets charged by the engine and through regenerative braking. This system, along with another fuel-saving system called cylinder deactivation, gives the Tahoe Hybrid about 25 percent better fuel economy than its gasoline-only counterpart. Emissions data for the Tahoe Hybrid has not been published.

We drove the GMC Yukon Hybrid, which uses the same platform and system as the Tahoe Hybrid, earlier this year. Click here to read our driving impressions of the Yukon Hybrid. With its hybrid system, the Tahoe Hybrid behaves much like a Toyota Prius, shutting off the engine while stopped in traffic and driving under electric power at low speeds. But the Tahoe also gets a continuously variable transmission, commonly used in Toyota hybrids, enhanced with a four-speed automatic transmission. The truck uses its fixed gears when it is towing a trailer or climbing hills.

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.

Click here to see our photos.

(Credit: CNET Networks/Sarah Tew)

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.

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, the Beat will only be going on sale in markets outside the United States. As some kind of consolation, the U.S. market will be getting an updated version of the Chevy Aveo5, which will receive an exterior makeover and as-standard OnStar for the 2009 model year.

Click here to see our photos.

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.

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 mounted longitudinally between the car's front seats, enabling the designers to make the car look more like a car and less like a toaster.

According to Honda, the FCX Clarity, which will be made available to a limited number of retail customers in summer 2008, has a range of 270 miles on one tank of hydrogen and a top speed of 100 mph. Stylistically, the FCX Clarity draws on many of the design cues of the FCX Concept with a swooping roofline and a short front overhang, made possible by the absence of an internal combustion engine. Inside, the FCX Clairy features a range of advanced cabin tech, including a navigation system programmed with hydrogen-station locations, climate-controlled seats, and Bluetooth hands-free calling. The Clarity also marks the production debut of Honda's Bio-Fabric, a plant-based material used for the car's seat coverings.