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Green comes shining through at LA Auto Show
Monday December 1 2008
By JIM ROBINSON, Metroland Media Group

BRAMPTON - The Los Angeles Auto Show was easily the greenest in history, but grimly overshadowed by events taking place in Washington and throughout the American economy.

While southern California highways were as clogged as ever with huge SUVs, the construction cranes that dotted the LA skyline this summer were mostly idle or gone.

More telling was the Saturday real estate edition of the Los Angeles Times that had 84 pages of homes for sale and just two pages for new.

On the floor of the LA Convention Center, the Chrysler/Dodge display was in darkness, after it withdrew days before the show opening. GM cancelled two unveilings at LA, presumably saving them to make a bigger impact at Detroit in January. That may also have been the case with Chrysler.

There was also speculation Mitsubishi would not participate in January's auto show in Detroit joining Suzuki and Land Rover that will also not attend.

But despite this sense of gloom, the cars premiered in LA showed that the carmakers are, in fact, reacting quickly and positively to a swiftly-changing world.

I am no apologist for the auto industry, but what I saw in LA was very encouraging and bodes well for the future. Sure there will be some bad bumps, but the road to a greener, more efficient automotive future is emerging.

Here are some of the highlights, as I saw them, at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.

MAZDA:

The most important unveiling was the 2010 Mazda3. One in every three Mazda vehicles sold on the...

2009 Toyota Yaris- a roomy subcompact
Friday November 28 2008
By LORNE DRURY, Metroland Media Group
BRAMPTON - Toyota has built its reputation on selling high-quality, fuel-efficient, economical vehicles.

And one of the most economical and popular in the Toyota lineup these days is the Yaris, which comes in both hatchback and sedan styles.

Starting at...

The exciting Mazda3 gets a new helping of Zoom Zoom for 2010
Friday November 28 2008
By JIM ROBINSON, Metroland Media Group
BRAMPTON - Imagine you're in the shoes of Yoshiyuki Meada.

He's the program manager for the 2010 Mazda3 and his job is to fix something that isn't broken.

One of every three Mazda vehicles sold around the world is a Mazda3. In Canada, the...

2009 Passat CC- coupe-like looks in a sedan
Friday November 21 2008
By LORNE DRURY, Metroland Media Group
BRAMPTON - When I first saw the Volkswagen Passat CC at the Detroit auto show last January I was blown away by its styling.

Finally, here was a Volkswagen with real pizzazz, one that stands out from the crowd and makes a statement.

Not that all...