CityGuy

Spring is in the air and that means its time for car makers to strutt their stuff in the city that never sleeps. The New York autoshow opens to the public on Friday. The media pack gets its sneak peek starting tommorow, and the menu looks fairly rich, as you would expect in one of the nations richest regional markets. Here are some of the cars expected to be on display:

Bentley Continental GT convertible
New Porsche 911 Turbo
New Infinit G35 sedan
Redesigned Nissan Altima
Redesigned Acura MDX
Toyotas Scion brand plans to bring a concept design for a new coupe.
This is just the partial list.

It is very tough in the auto market these days especially with the rise of gasoline prices. Even the Hybrid SUV's seem to be runnning out of gas. Recently Ford said it will offer 0% financing for up to five years on its Ford Escape Hybrid models. It doesnt help a vehicle like the Escape that the new four-cylinder Toyota RAV 4 gets 30 miles to the gallon on the highway compared with 31 mpg highway for the more expensive hybrid Ford. According to a comparison generated by the www.fueleconomy.gov web site, the four cylinder Toyota RAV 4's annual fuel cost is $1,496, compared with $1,777 a year for the hybrid Ford.

Two tests for Hybrid demand are coming up. First, its getting to be time for the oil industry's annual cahngeover to summer formula fuels. In the past few years, that, plus the spike in demand that coincides with Memorial Day, has helped to create a price pop at the pumps. Second, Toyota is getting ready to roll out the new Toyota Camry hybrid. This is a mainstream sedan that uses hybrid technology mainly to increase fuel economy - not, as in the hybrid Honda Accord, as a power booster. The Camry is also priced well below the Accord hybrid, but about $5,000 more than a base four-cylinder Camry.

The star of Toyota's New York Auto show display is expected to be a gasoline-electric version of the Lexus LS460 sedan, or the LS600. With the Lexus brand, Toyota is using hybrid technology to boost performance. Look for the LS600 to be a V-8 car that uses a hybrid power system to generate performance close that of a V-12 super sedan. WOW!!! Good to know if and when I go shopping for my next automobile.