Los Angeles Auto Show

If there was an award for most outrageous car at the L.A. Auto Show, they'd have to come up with a new award for the $220,000-plus Spyker Aileron Spyder, because 'outrageous' doesn't do it justice. Taking cues from art deco aircraft that may or may not have ever existed, the drop top version of the equally, if not even more outrageous, Aileron coupe features a small luggage compartment shaped like a wing placed behind the driver's head, along with everything else that makes this Dutch oddity such a tasty treat. That includes a 400 horsepower Audi V8 engine with the exhaust note of a sortie of WWII fighter planes. (Source: foxnews.1eye.us)

The 2011 Buick Regal isn't just hoping to compete against overseas import sport sedans, it is one. Built at a GM plant in Germany until its Oshawa, Canada plant comes on line a year from now, America's version of the 2009 European Car of The Year looks to compete with the likes of the Acura TSX and Volkswagen CC, with a lineup of four-cylinder only models that includes a 220 horsepower turbo-charged motor with an available manual transmission. Buick loyalists probably remember how to drive a stick shift, while the younger crowd that the automaker is going after today might have to learn. (Source: foxnews.1eye.us)

Boasting a 31 MPG highway fuel economy rating, and an even more impressive body, the 2010 Hyundai Tucson is the latest in a growing line of stylish and efficient automobiles that no longer are just just "good for the money", but simply good. With features like a hill start assist and downhill braking control to go along with a four-cylinder engine that has the power of the six in the outgoing model, this compact crossover should be getting a lot of attention, and not just for its looks. (Source: foxnews.1eye.us)

The Ghost is the cheap...uh, affordable...uh, efficiently-priced Rolls Royce. The all-new $245,000 entry level model from the ne plus ultra of luxury brands has a 6.6-liter V12 engine with twin turbochargers and 563 horsepower. "Immediate and extremely smooth" is how the company describes the power delivery. It's also billed as the fastest and most fuel-efficient Rolls Royce ever. Since the current models get 14 MPG, a few grains of salt should come along with that claim. (Source: foxnews.1eye.us)

Doing for you what the tuner guy down the block would normally charge you for, the 2010 Subaru WRX STI Special Edition swaps out the compact sport coupe's suspension and replaces it with a harder-core setup from a Japanese market version of the car, while eliminating items like fog lamps and the 10-speaker stereo found in the standard STI, in keeping with the Special Edition's track-focused image. Best news is that taking stuff out includes dollars, as the base price drops by $2,000, to $33,690. (Source: foxnews.1eye.us)

Sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you just look like the fanged car from some future "Twilight" sequel. The Honda Personal Neo Urban Transport, or P-NUT, is the company's idea of an "ultracompact, aggressively designed coupe." The nowhere-near-production pod seats three, with the driver in the middle, and was designed to accept a gasoline engine, hybrid or all-electric powertrain in the rear.

It's been three decades since Ford tried to sell a version of its European Fiesta subcompact in the United States, and we know how it worked out the first time. But since the economy, fuel prices, etc. look a lot like they did back then, why not give it another shot? The 2011 Fiesta sedan and five-door hatchback are a lot bigger than the original, and feature some of the most stylish sheetmetal ever to wear the blue oval. The curves hide cutting edge technology, including Ford's first twin-clutch six-speed automatic transmission, which helps the 119 HP 1.6 liter four-cylinder engine get 40 MPG on the highway. Priced at a very competitive $13,995, this little guy should be a big player in the small car segment.

No, this isn't another picture of the Ford Fiesta, but since the 2011 Mazda2 shares a platform with it, it's kind of another pea from the same green pod, so you're forgiven for thinking that it is. The Zoom Zoomy hatchback puts on Mazda's corporate happy face, and offers "dynamic performance", but since engines and prices and anything you'd actually want to know about it are still secret, we're not sure what that means.

It might not look like it, but the Chevrolet Cruze compact shares a lot with the Chevy Volt, both sharing the same basic platform. But while the Volt goes all high-tech electric car, the Cruze sticks with conventional power, but with efficiency as the same aim. Chevy says the 1.4 liter turbocharged four-cylinder version of the four-door will get about 40 mpg on the highway, tops of any non-hybrid gasoline fueled car in its class, while 10 airbags basically cover every inch of the interior in the event of a crash. Pricing hasn't been set, but the car goes on sale in the second half of next year.

Proving that less can truly be more - at least on the style front - the Cadillac CTS coupe is likely the most show-car looking production vehicle the luxury automaker has put into production since the 1959 job with the big tailfins. The model launches - literally and figuratively - with the same 304 horsepower 3.6 liter V6 found in the Chevrolet Camaro, so it's as fast as it looks, too.

Hyundai has been putting up impressive numbers this year, posting year to year sales gains that have been embarrassing the competition. To keep the ball rolling, it's rolling out a new version of its midsize Sonata sedan that's anything but bread and butter. With dramatic styling and a 200 horsepower turbocharged engine that gets a whopping 35 MPG on the highway, the $19,995 four-door should have no problem outselling the outgoing model, not to mention making the competition even more red in the face.

There was a time not long ago when the minivan class was one of the most hotly-contested market segments in the US. Now, only a handful of competitors remain, but that doesn't mean the competition is any less hot. The 2011 Toyota Sienna is a ground-up redesign of the model line stuffed with technology like a 180-degree backup camera, adaptive radar cruise control, and a 16-inch monitor for the rear seats that can be split into two separate displays. If that doesn't make it enough like home, the second row seats recline and have foot rests. For the frugal, a four-cylinder model gets a best in class 26 MPG highway, while a 266 hp V6 is available in all-wheel-drive, the only minivan that is.

Whether or not minivans will ever be considered "cool" is yet to be seen, but this may be as close as they'll ever get.  The Toyota Sienna SE gets all of the goodies from the rest of the lineup, plus a sport-tuned suspension, 19-inch wheels, and an aggressive body kit that may at least make your mom the coolest soccer mom in town.

The Up! Lite is an odd thing. Not just for how it looks, but because it is basically a concept version of a car that doesn't exist yet. VW's Up! three-door subcompact doesn't even go on sale until 2011, but Up! Lite takes it down! to the next level. Using a combination of aluminum and high-tech materials, the four-seat Up! Lite weighs a mere 1,500 pounds, 300 pounds less than the Smart Fortwo. A diesel hybrid powertrain takes advantage of the lightness to deliver a combined fuel economy of 70 MPG, or it will if the car goes into production, which it won't anytime soon.

The Volkswagen New Beetle isn't so new anymore, having been on the road with few changes since 1998. Set to be replaced soon, the company is giving it a nice retirement present with the ominous sounding "Final Edition" model. Featuring an ultra cutesy baby blue paint job, with white two-tone on the convertible model, the limited run of 1,500 will also get a sport suspension and big for a Bug 17-inch wheels all at a price of $20,240 for the hardtop and $27,170 for the drop top.

Porsche loves special editions of its cars, but since they usually are actually special, we'll forgive them.  The $62,000 2010 Boxster Spyder is at once the most powerful and lightest version of the car, using lots of aluminum to trim the fat.  A 320 horsepower flat-6 sends power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, while a tight suspension gives it moves that are so quick, it might just lose it's bikini-style soft top.

At last year's L.A. Auto Show, Ford introduced an almost all-new Mustang with a slick new body, upgraded interior and re-tuned suspension. The only thing missing from the package was a new set of engines. That's been half-rectified. For 2011, the 'Stang gets a new 305 horsepower V6 with either a six-speed automatic or manual transmission that delivers up to 30 MPG on the highway, tops in class. The only problem is that the current V8 Mustang only has 315 hp, so stay tuned.

When Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy, the first vehicle it put back into production was the 600 hp Dodge Viper sports car. So it's odd, perhaps, that the company just announced that it will be killing the car in June of 2010, before a possible resurrection a couple of years later. To celebrate the melancholy event, Dodge is producing a special run of 500 "Final Edition" Vipers with revised transmissions for better acceleration, and plenty of new and original paint and trim options to make each one as unique as possible and as different from the "Final Edition" VW Beetles as possible.