With Detroit almost broke and the financial crisis causing grief for most every other automaker, the Los Angeles Auto Show was more schizophrenic than usual this year. The 2008 expo opened for a nine-day run on November 21 after a two-day media preview in which General Motors made news by canceling its scheduled conference, citing a need to conserve cash. As a result, the 2010 Cadillac CTS coupe and redesigned Buick LaCrosse will premiere instead at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January. That promises to be a grim affair after Big Three execs failed to win emergency "bridge" funding in Congressional hearings held at about the same time as the Tinseltown press scrum. Memo to Detroit CEOs: Next time you fly to D.C., go commercial.

With that and other troubling news, the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show was not exactly business as usual, but it wasn't all gloom-and-doom either. Ford Motor Company, displaying what might be termed guarded defiance, rolled out expected 2010 makeovers of its midsize sedan trio and iconic Mustang "ponycar." Nissan unwrapped its own new sports car, the 370Z, plus a redesigned, U.S.-bound version of the funky Cube compact wagon, another 2009 entry. Other world premieres for L.A. 2008 included the handsome Infiniti G37 hardtop convertible from Nissan's upscale brand, a mostly clean-sheet Mazda 3 compact car, redesigned Lexus RX crossover SUVs, and updated versions of the Porsche Boxster and Cayman sports cars.

As always at this show, Hollywood-worthy wheels stood fender-to-fender with sensible save-the-planet vehicles. In the former category were the new Ferrari California hardtop convertible and the mid-engine Lotus Evora four-seat coupe. Both were making North American debuts after world premieres at Paris in October. So, too, the Kia Soul, a new low-cost youth-oriented compact car, and the expected coupe-convertible addition to the Lexus IS premium-compact-car line.

Kia parent Hyundai sprung several surprises, including a sneak peek at a 2010-model Sonata Hybrid midsize sedan with a new type of battery that might worry Toyota and Honda. Toyota itself displayed a Camry Hybrid prototype fueled by natural gas, while Honda brought in its Insight sedan and sporty CR-Z concept hybrids to preview upcoming production models. BMW showed its greener side with the Mini E, an electric version of the popular premium subcompact that's strictly a testbed at this point. Archrival Audi touted its "clean diesel" turbocharged engines as a right-now answer to U.S. fuel economy and pollution concerns. And of course, there was the usual array of specialty vehicles expected at an auto show in anything-goes Southern California.

Here's a rundown of the major happenings at L.A. 2008, listed in alphabetical order by manufacturer.

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