2008  New York Auto  Show
Scion unveiled the Hako Concept at the 2008 New York Auto Show.

The capstone of auto show season came early this year. The 2008 New York Auto Show opened its doors to the press on March 19. The public gets its turn March 21st through the 30th. With the economy on the slide, automakers pulled out all the stops at New York's show--the last big chance of the year to grab headlines and motivate new-car shoppers for the spring selling season.

While the drama and hubbub of the 2008 New York Auto Show can't quite compare to a week in the New York governor's office, the show wasn't without some excitement of its own. Flashy concept introductions from Mitsubishi, Saab, and Scion took a bite out of the Big Apple's auto show this year. Also making news are redesigns of several cars, including a new Honda Fit, refreshed Acura TSX, and seventh-generation Nissan Sentra.

Mainstream people-movers weren't the only ones in the spotlight. The premium brands pulled out some familiar letters at this year's show. AMG and M both spell high performance for Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Mercedes-Benz raised the curtain on the 2009 SL63 AMG and BMW followed with the 2008 M3 convertible.

How else do you spell fast? Dodge and Pontiac prefer R/T and GXP. The two domestic makers pulled the covers off of the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T and 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP.

Check out what else was unveiled at the 2008 New York Auto Show.

2008 New York Auto Show
Acura
2009 Acura TSX

2008 New York Auto Show
BMW
2008 BMW M3 convertible

2008 New York Auto Show
Buick
Buick Invicta Concept

2008 New York Auto Show
Dodge
2009 Dodge Challenger
2008 New York Auto Show
Honda
2009 Honda Fit
2008 New York Auto Show
Hyundai

2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe
2008 New York Auto Show
Kia
Kia Koup Concept
2009 Kia Optima
2008 New York Auto Show
Lamborghini
2008 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
2008 New York Auto Show
Mercedes-Benz
2009 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG
2008  New York Auto  Show
Mini
2009 John Cooper Works models

2008 New York Auto Show
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi i
Mitsubishi i MiEV
Mitsubishi Concept-cX

2008  New York Auto  Show
Nissan
2009 Nissan Maxima


2008 New York Auto Show
Pontiac
2009 Pontiac Solstice coupe
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck

2008 New York Auto Show
Porsche
2008 Porsche 911 GT2
2008 Porsche Boxster RS 60 Spyder

2008 New York Auto Show
Saab
Saab 9-X BioHybrid Concept
2008 New York Auto Show
Scion
Scion Hako Coupe Concept
2008 New York Auto Show
Saleen

Saleen S5S Raptor Concept
2008  New York Auto  Show
Subaru
Subaru R1e
2008 New York Auto Show
Suzuki
Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept
2008  New York Auto  Show
Volvo
2009 Volvo XC60