2009 Central Florida International Auto Show

November 30, 9:05 PMOrlando Auto ExaminerMichael Block

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 The 2009 Central Florida International Auto Show is wrapping up today. Held every Thanksgiving weekend at the Orange County Convention Center, it gives Central Floridians a chance to not only look at the upcoming new models, but to sit in them, push all the buttons, and move all the levers, and ask questions of a team of automotive experts who are there simply to provide information about the car, not try to sell it.

Many new and updated models appeared in the flesh at this year's CFIAS:

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione/courtesy of carbodydesign.com

Alfa Romeo 8C - Built from several marques under the large Fiat Group (Alfa, Ferrari, and Maserati), the 8C Competizione officially brings Alfa Romeo back to the US market. Only 500 were made, 84 were brought here, all of them already sold. Priced at a mere $226,000, the 8C will keep us poor car enthusiasts dreaming for years to come.

Hyundai Elantra Touring - Korean manufacturer Hyundai wants to jump into the recent success of mid-sized crossover vehicles like the Mazda5 and Toyota Matrix, so it has developed a sport-wagon version of its Elantra sedan called the Elantra Touring. Powered by the same 2L 4cyl found in the sedan, although with 3 extra hp, the Touring aims to provide the same fun factor and versatility of its competitors for a better price and warranty.

Nissan 370Z - Nissan has updated its iconic, but long-in-the-tooth 350Z to become the 370Z. Now with a 3.7L V6 making 332hp, the 370Z has a slightly updated exterior with refreshed lines and an apparently new ubiquitous head/taillight design shared with the new Maxima, where the bottom of the light reaches back to form a side-angled V shape. An interesting new feature is SynchroRev, which blips the throttle during downshifting to ensure smoother and sportier operation.

Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon - New for 2010, the CTS Sport Wagon joins its new for 2008 CTS sedan cousin. Sharing the 3.6L V6 engines, in either 263hp or 304hp direct-injection flavors, with the sedan, it aims to capitalize on the sedan's success of European style and performance coupled with American luxury, but this time with 25 cu ft of storage.

Hyundai Genesis Coupe/courtesy of autofans.us

Hyundai Genesis Coupe - Following the debut of its new 2009 Genesis luxury sedan, aimed at the BMW 5-series and Mercedes E-Class, the 2010 Genesis coupe, while not using the sedan's V8, also does without its two extra doors. Powered by either a 2L 4cyl turbo making 212hp or a 3.8L V6 making 310hp, the Genesis coupe is after competitors like the Mazda RX8, Ford Mustang, and Nissan 370Z.

Chevrolet Camaro - One step closer to the debut of the new Camaro for 2009, a Camaro RS made an appearance, with the same 3.6L 304hp direct-injection V6 as the CTS. The LS and LT models will share that same engine, while the SS gets the Corvette's 6.2L LS3 V8 with up to 422hp. Ditching the ancient live rear axle, the Camaro will receive a 4-wheel independent suspension, and the SS will get Brembo brake calipers. Pricing is expected to start at $22,995 for the V6 LS and $30,995 for the SS.

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart - Like the 2009 Subaru Impreza GT, which sacrifices some of the performance of the WRX for a little extra refinement, the Lancer Ralliart fills in the gap between its economical Lancer and visceral Evolution. Making 235hp out of a detuned version of the 2.0L 4cyl found in the Evolution, and using only the SST dual-clutch gearbox similar to the Evolution MR (no stickshift is offered), the Ralliart keeps Mitsubishi in close competition with Subaru.

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1/courtesy of automobilemag.com

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 - On sale in 2009 to become the fastest and most expensive production Corvette ever, the $105,000 ZR1 boasts a 6.2L 638hp supercharged LS9 V8 that rockets the car to 60 in 3.5 seconds and on to 205mph.

Ford Fusion - Refreshed for 2010, the Fusion gets a new front nose and redesigned taillights on the exterior. New additions inside include Sync 2.0, the latest version of Ford's popular voice-activated phone and stereo operating software. Mechanically, it shares its all-new 2.5L 4cyl with the 2009 Mazda6 and Tribute/Ford Escape, and its 3.5L V6 with the likes of the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, and Mazda CX9. The 2.5L 4cyl will also be offered with a hybrid drivetrain. Prices start at $19,270 for the 4cyl S model.

Ford F150 - Despite the sudden unfashionability of large trucks, Ford's best-selling F150 muscles its way into 2009 with a new model. More of a refresh than a complete new model, the F150 receives a new front end, redesigned taillights, and an all-new and more user-friendly interior, also receiving Sync 2.0. The 4.6L and 5.4L V8 engines carry over, but the base 4.2L V6 has been dropped, leaving the F150 only with V8 power for 2009. However, the EcoBoost V6 that Ford is talking about, a twin-turbo direct-injection V6 that can supposedly equal V8 power with 20% better fuel economy is likely to make it into the F150 in a few years.

Ford Mustang - Being very careful to refresh the aging current-gen car, which debuted with unprecedented fanfare in 2004, Ford has slightly facelifted the Mustang for 2010, with subtle changes in the front fascia and rear taillights. The 4.0L V6 carries over, but the modular 4.6L V8 is rumored to be replaced by a 5.0L V8, and the aforementioned EcoBoost engine is also rumored to replace the V8.

Dodge Ram - A completely new model unlike the updated Ford F150, with an all-new body, suspension, and interior, the Dodge Ram also tries to uphold its roots as a large and capable truck while being more socially responsible in this time of environmental consciousness. All engines have been revised and supposedly offer more power and performance as well as better fuel economy, including the 390hp 5.7L Hemi V8. The 4.7L V8 increases to 310hp and the 3.7L V6 now makes 215hp. Better aerodynamics and reduced weight aid in increasing economy as well.

Other vehicles were showcased at the CFIAS as well, including a collection of heavily-modified import performance machines from Jade Crew, an extensive array of classic American cars including a line of Ford Model As, all generations of Corvettes, a Studebaker Golden Hawk, some drag racing funny cars, and others.

Mitsubishi Starion Group B Rally Car/courtesy of japanesenostalgiccar.com

Special recognition goes to the Mitsubishi display for having an extremely rare example of Mitsubishi's effort in developing a Group B rally car, the 350hp Starion AWD Turbo.

It's no surprise that the show has been radically different this year than in years past. Special attention was made to easily direct people to fuel-efficient and 'green' cars, and when the common selling point for cars in the past few years has been their horsepower or gadgetry, fuel economy was the most talked about feature of every spokesperson at the show.

Mercedes-Benz was absent from the show this year, as they usually are, and Volkswagen/Audi also did not make an appearance; surprising, since their new TDI engine is one of the most fuel-efficient engines for sale in a US production car, and has been worked on so extensively to run on the new US ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel.

Needless to say, we hope that other car companies aren't absent from the show next year for other reasons.

But regardless of what the future of the automotive landscape is, the Central Florida International Auto Show will continue on with the survivors of this crisis next year.

And we will be there.

Note: I took many pictures at the CFIAS this year, but due to technical difficulties with my camera, virtually none of them came out right. So I do not have a personal gallery of pictures for this event. Please accept my sincerest apologies.