Jeremiah 29:11

I have not heard of this Federal law before. They are right about the Camaro looking so contemporary.........you have to look to see the Camaro in this concept.

Posted on Fri, Nov. 24, 2006



Nauman: The top 10 `must-sees' at S.F. auto show
By Matt Nauman
Mercury News

We're just past Thanksgiving, and haven't even turned the calendar from November to December, yet it's time to talk about cars and trucks from the 2008 model year.

That's right. If you head to San Francisco this weekend for some holiday shopping and a few hours at the auto show, expect to find hundreds of 2007 cars and trucks. Surprisingly, there's also a handful of 2008 models on exhibit. Federal law allows automakers to sell 2008 vehicles starting Jan. 1, 2007, so expect to see these newcomers on the road early next year.

After a two-hour tour of the floor at Moscone Center, here are my picks for 10 vehicles not to miss at this year's San Francisco International Auto Show.

• 2008 Lexus LS 600h L. The new versions of Lexus' flagship sedan, the 2007 LS 460 and 460 L, have been available in dealerships for about a month. These are the cars, priced from $61,000, that offer eight-speed automatic transmissions and a parking-assist system that makes parallel parking easier.

Coming next is the LS 600h L, a hybrid version of that sedan. It pairs a 4.6-liter V-8 with what's now being called the Lexus Hybrid Drive system of electric motors and a big battery pack. It gives the car power that's comparable with a V-12 gasoline engine while delivering combined city/highway fuel economy of 23 mpg, Toyota says. On sale in the spring, expect the LS 600h L to cost more than $80,000.

• 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty. The blue one on display in San Francisco is decked out in King Ranch trim, a saddle-themed interior that's perhaps the best that Ford makes. Ford says the truck's 6.4-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel is quieter and cleaner than the previous model. And, as a Ford spokesman quipped, its 650 pound-feet of torque is enough to move a small hotel.

Be sure to check out the truck's rear gate, which includes a built-in, fold-out step and handle that makes it much easier to climb aboard.

• 2007 GMC Acadia. Perhaps this is the logical conclusion of the boom in crossover-utility vehicles. Here's a big, new CUV from General Motors, built to carry eight people and their stuff. We used to call this type of vehicle a minivan, until GM started having real trouble selling its vans.

Neat bit: The second-row seats, which the automaker calls Smart Slide, have cushions that flip up as the seat back slides forward to make third-row access much easier. The similar Saturn Outlook also is on display.

• Chevrolet Camaro concept. The most popular vehicle based on the crowds in the first few days of the San Francisco show, the red Camaro concept already has been approved for production. GM says its once and future muscle car will go on sale early in 2009.

The concept on display here is sleek and forward-looking, a more contemporary take than either the current Ford Mustang and the soon-to-arrive Dodge Challenger.

• 2007 Hyundai Accent by K Daddyz Kustomz. Fresh from the floor of the SEMA auto after-market show in Las Vegas, this three-door Accent is tricked out in bright hues inside and out. Inside it carries a nitrous system, racing seats and huge subwoofers. Tuner cars from Scion and Suzuki also are on display.

• 2007 Honda Civic Si sedan. The Civic Si models always have represented something different, something cooler from Honda. A little more expressive than a base Civic, the Si trim line now expands with a four-door sedan. This one, priced at $21,885, offers both practicality and fun.

• Xebra Xero. Your kids will love the cars being sold by Zap, a Santa Rosa company. They're brightly colored and odd -- some are painted with zebra stripes, some ha