Volkswagen GX3 concept

The GX3 is a surprise debut from Volkswagen's California design team, which recently moved to Santa Monica. It's a pure driving machine with three wheels and two seats, not unlike the Peugeot 20Cup seen at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Powered by a 1.6liter 125hp engine, the GX3 would allow drivers to “cruise in the carpool lane for $17,000”, according to VW. The design is inspired by GP motorcycles and F1 racers with an exposed single-sided swing arm at the rear, a central exhaust and wide rear tyre.

The front is notable for the pair of close-coupled asymmetric headlamps set on the hood and a prominent grille, while a sweeping matte black side graphic breaks up the side profile. The interior features a pair of close-coupled bucket seats with four-point harness, centrally-mounted pair of meters and golfball gearshifter, just like the original Golf GTi.

Toyota Yaris Sedan

Toyota are showing the new Yaris sedan at the LA show, which replaces the older Echo in the subcompact segment. Designed in Japan, the sedan is a more sober design compared to the existing 3D/5D liftback on sale in Europe and Japan, featuring a revised front end with more traditional rectangular headlamps, deep bumper and a two-slot grille finished in body colour.

Surprisingly, the whole bodyside and doors are also revised, with a less plunging beltline and the lightcatcher in the lower door area moved down closer to the sill. Rear doors are new, with a more raked C-pillar compared to the liftback. The conventional rear end has an extended rear trunklid that cuts deeply down into the bumper. The interior retains the central meters of the Yaris liftback but showcases a new two-tone interior treatment for higher grade models.

Mazda CX-7

This is the production version of the MX-Crossport concept shown at Detroit last year, and the changes undertaken are refreshingly few. The combination of RX-8 sports car design DNA and an SUV bodystyle is nicely resolved, especially the front fender and grille treatment and lower door area. In addition, the fast screen angle, refined sculpting of the bodyside, tapering of the cabin at the rear and 18” wheels all add to this sporty theme. There are some neat details too. Note the tiny quarter window at the base of the A-pillar, the use of chrome to emphasise the DLO graphic with its distinctive kick-up, or the clear lens taillamps.

The interior has an IP with a stepped roof at the screenbase, just as on the concept, which visually unifies the cabin. The design also features classic Mazda three-dial meters and three vents at the top of the center stack. Overall, this is a handsome newcomer in an increasingly crowded market but one that communicates its sporty credentials in a classy way that fits well to Mazda's 'Zoom-Zoom' philosophy.

2007 Chevrolet Suburban

Making its world debut at the LA Auto Show is the 2007 Chevrolet Suburban featuring revised exterior and interior styling, more power and increased fuel economy. The Suburban is the core model of GM’s full-size SUV series, sharing its body with the GMC Yukon XL, while the Tahoe and GMC Yukon are sister models for the shorter wheelbase version of this platform. The new body ditches the continuous beltline and double-deck headlamps theme of the old Suburban for a flush-sided look with straight lines and crisp edges, although the characteristic flat-topped wheelarches are retained. At the rear, the older wraparound rear window graphic is replaced by a conventional C-pillar treatment and vertical taillamps.

Engine choices include a 5.3-liter, 320 horsepower V8 with displacement on demand fuel-saving technology and a new 6.0-liter, 355 horsepower V8. Attention has been paid to providing better interior quality, although the IP theme is somewhat reminiscent of Audi’s old A6. Overall, there seems little about this new style that’s really distinctive, which is surprising considering the rash of newcomers in this segment (vis Mercedes GL, Audi Q7) and the importance of this vehicle series to GM.

2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser

The FJ Cruiser was first shown as a concept three years ago at Detroit and takes its inspiration from the classic Toyota FJ40 Landcruiser: in particular the down-road-graphic, three straight line wheel arches, separate 'capped' roof and rounded rear corners in plan. Although it was previewed at the Chicago show in February, this is the first time to see it in final production form with full interior. First impressions are very favourable and the car has a strong sense of fun that’s often lacking in the large SUV market. The five-seat cabin, with barn-style rear doors, is designed around basic functionality and flexible utility. The high-set IP features an exterior color trim, with round inset instrumentation giving a deliberate mechanical look, while the attached-look door panels feature tool-like simplicity.

In some respects, it could be seen as Toyota’s answer to the Honda Element: a functional holdall targeted to the iPod generation, but larger and with more power as it’s based on the 4Runner platform with a 4.0 litre V6 engine. There’s certainly space in Toyota’s line-up for this niche model without harming sales of existing SUV’s.

Honda Civic

Honda’s Civic has often existed in different guises on either side of the pond but never more so than this 8th-generation model. Instead of a trapezoidal hatchback, the American Civic is offered as a 4-door sedan and a 2-door coupe, with a more blended three-box style and a conventional grille replacing Europe's Cycloptic lens. The new ‘one motion profile’ works best in the 2-door coupe Si, where the slant-forward rear mask angle helps balance the strongly diving beltline and 17” wheels fill the wheelarches nicely. By comparison, the sedan seems a little slab-sided, with a very stiff beltline and unadorned surfaces, especially around the nose. At the same time, it features pulled corners to the car and a pronounced feature strip in the lower bodyside – a slightly odd combination of elements.

Inside, the design is more sober in terms of colors and finishes than the over-busy European Civic, but keeps the 'Dual Link' dashboard architecture that’s executed to an impressively high level of quality. A hybrid version of the sedan will also be offered with a 1.3 liter, 110 bhp VTEC engine and a 15 kilowatt electric motor.