LA Auto Show 09

The 10 Coolest Cars at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show

 

It's December again, and while that means winter festivities and plenty of quality time with the extended family, it also means that it's time for the L.A. Auto Show.For the first time in years, we're beginning to see a pulse from domestic carmakers Ford and General Motors, even as high-end marques like Lamborghini snubbed California's annual auto pilgrimage to save precious dollars.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet is bent on stepping up its small-car game here in the United States and is putting all of its chips on the 2011 Cruze. Designed to be a replacement for the aging Cobalt, the car gives buyers a stylish interior and a choice of two efficient engines. The shining star in the Cruze engine bay is a new 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder capable of 138 horsepower and up to 40 mpg — all while hauling around the same number of people and amount of cargo as the Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. Progress is a good thing.

2011 Ford Fiesta

Domestic manufacturers have left their collective subcompact flank woefully underdefended for years. While Honda and Toyota have been selling cars like the Fit and Yaris for more than a decade to hordes of customers looking for small, efficient transportation, all Detroit could offer was the Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo. That's about to change in a big way. Ford's new 2011 Fiesta is a featherweight prizefighter that packs a 119-horsepower 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine and is available with a U.S.-only dual-clutch transmission — something usually reserved for more costly vehicles. The Fiesta wears some fun styling inside and out and should be capable of around 40 mpg highway.

2011 Mazda Mazda2

If you're thinking Mazda's new subcompact looks suspiciously similar to the Ford Fiesta, you'd be right. The Mazda2 platform was developed jointly with Ford way back when Mazda was tied to the Blue Oval. But while our friends in Japan have been able to buy the snazzy little 5-door as the Demio since early 2007, we haven't been so lucky. Now Mazda is being kind enough to share the car with us, complete with the same 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with 119 horsepower and a 5-speed automatic gearbox. The 2 also gets the Mazda family's smiling face and will likely hit the market costing less than the Ford iteration.

2011 Hyundai Sonata

Hyundai is continuing the trend of stylish Korean sedans begun by the Genesis with the 2011 Sonata. Along with the slippery, coupelike shape, the car boasts a flowing interior and a range of efficient 4-cylinder engines. The base Sonata packs a direct-injection 2.4-liter engine with close to 200 horsepower and fuel-economy figures of up to 35 mpg highway. If you need a few extra miles out of each tank, Hyundai is planning a hybrid model, too. The Sonata will eventually get a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with a little extra pep as well. Hyundai isn't saying exactly how much we can expect to pay for the new 4-door, but we're guessing the price tag will stick close to the current model's price of $18,700.

2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder

Porsche knows its Boxster isn't getting any younger. To give the entry-level drop top an extra edge against a growing number of threats in the $50,000 range, the company has rolled out a new, slimmed-down version of the 2-seater. The German carmaker managed to cut the car's weight down to 2,811 pounds, making it the lightest car in the company's stable. A 3.4-liter flat-six gives the car 320 horsepower, which is around 10 more ponies than the top-of-the line Boxster S. The company also reworked the suspension for a firmer ride and quicker cornering. Price? $61,200.

2011 Buick Regal

General Motors is pushing hard to pull Buick out of the company's octogenarian mindset, and while the new LaCrosse is plenty stylish, most would agree that it lacks the edge that younger buyers seek. The 2011 Regal has arrived to fix that issue. While the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with its 180 horsepower isn't all that impressive, Buick will offer the car with a 6-speed manual transmission. A Buick with a manual transmission? What's next? Is GM going to tell us that it's bringing back the GNX? Look for the Regal to come with a price tag of around $22,000.

VW Up! Lite

One of the most interesting concepts here in LA-LA Land came from Volkswagen. The company brought along its VW Up! Lite, a diesel hybrid capable of 70 mpg combined. The concept has room for four people inside, weighs a scant 1,530 pounds and gets its power from a microscopic turbocharged 800 cc diesel engine. Right now the car is just a concept, but VW says we can expect a production version by the end of 2011. But we wouldn't hold our breath just yet on that promise.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

There was plenty of big news from General Motors during the show, including the production version of the first Cadillac coupe in years - the CTS Coupe. Cadillac has done an amazing job of translating the concept version of the 2-door into production metal, and the car is drop-dead gorgeous. The hunkered-down stance carries a masculine build with elegant details throughout. Just how low-down is this thing? The company took a full two inches out of the car's roof compared with the sedan version. The Caddy's 304 horsepower come from a 3.6-liter direct-injection V6 engine, capable of up to 27 mpg on regular gas. You'll also get the options of a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission, and rear- or all-wheel drive.

Honda P-NUT

Honda was more than happy to bring a dose of the bizarre this year with its P-NUT Concept, a car with what could possibly be the worst name in the history of transportation. In this case P-NUT stands not for a delectable honey-roasted snack, but for Personal Neo-Urban Transport. Honda says the car could be powered by an efficient gas engine, a gas-hybrid or an all-electric set up, but since the P-NUT is a pure concept, it might as well be powered by giraffe dreams. Don't expect to see a P-NUT on your block any time soon.

2011 Infiniti M

Infiniti put its big, bad M under the knife for 2011, and the result is a car that's lower, wider and longer than the outgoing version. New sheet metal all around gives the sedan a more emotive look, with arching hips and prominent fender arches. Engine options include Nissan's excellent 3.7-liter V6 with 330 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque or a 5.6-liter V8 with 420 horsepower. Infiniti is also offering the 2011 M with a sports package consisting of 4-wheel steering, stout brakes and 20-inch wheels to help the car compete in a market dominated by German bruisers.