Yes, it’s that time of the year again. Kicking off with the Paris Auto Show, the US rounds made their start today with the opening of the LA Auto Show. Although the general public is not admitted until Friday, November 19, press members – including yours truly – are admitted for a couple of days to check out all the wares from various manufacturers.

Here is what we dug up today on day 1 of the LA Auto Show:

HONDA CR-Z MUGEN EDITION

We welcome back the return of the hatch from Honda. Although the hybrid powertain is not as exciting as that found in the original CRX, this little number definitely looks like something we’d like to check out in person. The Mugen edition here definitely adds a racy flair to the CRZ, but that rear spoiler really has to go. Why a front wheel drive vehicle needs all that excess weight and downforce at the rear is beyond us.

NEW OFFERINGS FROM PORSCHE

(No, this isn’t a new Porsche offering; rather, it’s a mint old school Speedster found at the entry to the Porsche exhibit)

I guess it shouldn’t surprise us that even a “traditional” manufacturer of sportscars (which are also thirsty for petrol) would jump on the bandwagon. The Cayenne Hybrid is already in the offering and they’ve been heavily marketing the innovation through a television commercial featuring the GT3 RS Hybrid as seen below. We don’t know how effective the hybrid system may be, but it’s an absolutely gorgeous piece of machinery.

As an homage to Porsche’s 60 year history, the Stuttgart make is releasing a brand new Speedster. Quite sleek. Quite fast. Quite limited. And… quite expensive.

Finally, as if the GT2 needed any more power, refinement (or a higher price tag), the new GT2 RS is here. With rear wheel drive goodness and an even lighter chassis to match, this car is quite the handful. As a matter of fact, we can’t imagine the average Joe being able to drive this car very fast without killing himself in the process.

SUBARU PULLS OUT SOME REFINEMENT

The Subaru Impreza WRX STi – even though I personally own a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution – has always been a car to be reckoned with. Great power output, good looks and a reasonable price tag have all been the keys to the STi’s popularity. Although the hatchback version of the newest STi has had its fans, it has had an equal share of detractors. Well, Subaru is going to satisfy both parties, as they introduce a 4-door sedan edition. But don’t fret if you had your eyes on the hatch version – Subaru will continue to produce the STi in hatch form.

Subaru also pulled out all the stops in introducing the new Impreza Concept. At first glance, it looks quite a bit like a natural evolution of the existing Subaru Legacy, although those horizontal slats on either side of the front bumper remind me of the front end of the current Honda Civic. Take a look and you decide.

NISSAN’S NEW OFFERINGS

No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. That really is a convertible version of the Nissan Murano. Now, we’re not quite sure from whom this car is intended, as we’ve never heard of anyone actively advocating the creation of a convertible SUV but I’m sure Nissan did their homework before launching this vehicle. We’ll get our hands on one soon and let you know if it’s worth your consideration.

The other shiny object inside the Nissan booth is the Ellure Hybrid concept. I don’t know about you, but the exterior is absolutely gorgeous. I hope they will retain most of the design cues if this car hits production. The interior is certainly very high tech looking as well. We don’t yet have the proposed technical and performance details but will let you know as soon as we know.

Alright, gang. Day 2 awaits us tomorrow. Will have another editorial up by weekend’s time with even more photos and discoveries at the LA Convention Center!

With the LA Show set to open to the public tomorrow, there is sure to be a big crowd on hand over the next week or show to check out the cars on display. But if you can’t make it, do check out the highlights feature here. Then take a peek at the assortment of automotive delights in our photo collage below. Enjoy!

The 2009 edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show kicked off today with a slew of new vehicle launches for the world and North American markets. With the auto industry experiencing a virtual implosion this year, 2010 is shaping up to be a critical year for many makes. Speaking of which, a few brands weren’t in attendance this year, including Nissan, Infiniti (Nissan’s sister brand) and Ferrari. You can bet that they will be at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.

Here are some of the highlights:

MINI Coupe Concept

MINI Coupe Concept (North American debut) – The MINI has always looked a bit stubby and, frankly, a bit too feminine for certainly our tastes. This concept, however, turns things upside down with a sleek roofline that is definitely more appealing for the XY-chromosome set.

Cadillac CTS Coupe

Cadillac CTS Coupe (world debut) – Caddy takes their performance-oriented sports luxury sedan, chops off two doors and presents a sleek alternative to the 4-door. With that being said, however, we feel GM needs to take this car back to the drawing board as the design execution leaves much to be desired.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (North American debut) – An homage to the original SL gullwing Merc, the new SLS AMG is an “affordable” supercar from the German make. They went at this car without McLaren’s involvement. Can’t attest to how it drives, but it looks oh-so-good.

Lexus LF-A

Lexus LF-A (North American debut) – After what seemed like decades, the LF-A is finally a reality. It looks great on paper and they seemed to have gotten ALMOST everything right. The gripe? A pricetag somewhere between $300,000 and $400,000. Toyota can claim the engine was derived from F1, albeit they never won a single race after spending reported billions. For our money, we would take an Audi R8, a Porsche GT3 RS and a couple of Ducatis. Even after that, you would still have money left over for some other goodies for the same price as the LF-A. Or just buy a Nissan GT-R and buy a decent house with the rest of the money.

Dodge Viper SRT10

Dodge Viper SRT10 (world debut) – Wait, hasn’t this car been out in the market for, like, ever? We’ve heard numerous rumors that Chrysler was trying to spin off the Viper and dump it on an unsuspecting buyer. So why introduce a “new” Viper at this stage in the game?

The LA Auto Show opens to the public on December 4 and remains open through December 13, 2009. For more information, please check out www.laautoshow.com.

From Daimler – This week, Brawn GP was purchased by Mercedes-Benz, to compete in Formula One in 2010. The Principal for the team is still Ross Brawn. Brawn GP won the constructor’s title in Formula One in 2009. Will Mercedes-Benz be able to keep up with Ferrari in Formula One next season? I guess only time will tell. In other F1 news, Kimi Raikkonen “semi”-retires from F1 to race in WRC, and Jenson Button signed with McLaren. All of this F1 news show for a crazy and unpredictable 2010 season!

From CNBC.com – After Toyota announced a major recall on the majority of thier late model passenger cars due to an issue with floor mats sliding around, and pressing the accelerator pedal down, they decided to put a “band-aid” over the wound, and use zip-ties to secure the floor mats to the floor of the car. Now there are reports that Toyota has decided on a permanent fix – make shorter gas pedals. Is this the best that Toyota can conjure up? Personally, I expected a better solution. Toyota, perhaps you should take this time to go back to the drawing board.