2011 LA Auto Show - NYT Take; A Lighter Shade of Green

WASHINGTON, DC - November 22, 2011: The AIADA newsletter reported that the New York Times' Jerry Garrett, writing at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, says that if it could be summed up in a single word, that word might well be 'tentative.'

The economy is lurching, the industry's sales are seesawing, and prospects for stability are uncertain. So the attitude among automakers seemed to be one of wait and see, making it all but impossible to identify a definite trend or direction.

Important new products were unveiled (see them here), but they were, for the most part, mass-production models. Officials of the show, which opened to the public Friday after two days of press previews, promised more than 50 new model introductions. That total represents a steady, if slow, improvement over the dark days of 2008-9, when the show's existence was in question as the auto industry stumbled into recession and bankruptcy.

"It's an indication of the improving strength, and underlying solid fundamentals, of the auto industry," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda, "that there are more than enough new models in the pipeline to support this, and other major auto shows throughout the year around the globe."

Read more of Garrett's take on the models at the 2011 LA Auto Show by clicking HERE."