Maybe it is no longer true that "small cars means small profits," as a Ford executive famously said.

Tinseltown meets Motor City as well as Japan and Korea this week and next as the annual Los Angeles Auto Show rolls into the sprawling convention center.

The show comes at the end of one of the worst year’s the industry – and the nation – has seen in decades, but there’s the long-standing belief, though now questionable assumption as good cars fail in an over-supplied marketplace, that nothing cures problems like new product.  And there’s some of it.  According to effusive show organizers, as many as 30 cars, trucks, crossovers and concept vehicles are making their U.S. or worldwide debut at the event.

That’s a publicity ploy; but there are still a score of offerings that are worth watching closely, and TheDetroitBureau.com is on the show floor snapping pics and reporting the news.

While you’ll still see some high-powered sports car – like the new Mercedes-Benz SLS – the emphasis is on fuel-economy with downsized offerings – think Ford Fiesta and Mazda’s pint-sized Mazda2 – grabbing the headlines during the 2009 L.A. Auto Show media preview.

The other hot story goes by the ungainly name, “electrification.”  As keynote speaker, General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz noted, “we’re transitioning from being a  company that builds mechanically-driven cars to ones that are electrically-driven.”

GM unveiled the production version of its new Volt plug-in; Audi staged the North American introduction of a 400-horsepower electric sports car, the e-tron, which it promises to put into production by 2012. Where the customers will come from for these expensive limited range cars remains to be seen.

Ongoing efficency impovements in traditional vehicles is the real story here as makers, prompted by the defections of buyers from gas guzzlers, and tightening emissions regulations, finally are getttng serous about weight loss and fuel saving technoligies.

Read on for links to all the new cars, trucks, concepts and crossover vehicles at the 2009 L.A. Auto Show.

Click the links below for TheDetroitBureau.com’s coverage of these new products appearing at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.

• 2011 BMW Active Hybrid X6, Active Hybrid 7, and Vision Concept. A trio of green machines.
• 2011 Buick Regal. A royal return.
• 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe. Aiming at the imports.
• 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe v-Series. A high-performance v-Series to follow.
• 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. Better late than never?
• 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Set to go on sale in California next year.
• 2012 Fisker Hybrid. Start-up maker shows production model, sets production date.
• 2011 Ford Fiesta. A European small car lands in America.
• 2011 Ford Mustang. 305 hp, 30 mpg.
• 2010 Honda P-Nut. A 3-seat urban concept car.
• 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Challenger to Japan’s dominance in the mid-size class.
• 2010 Hyundai Tucson. Korean maker upgrades everything but the price.
• 2011 Kia Sorento. Rightsizing, not downsizing.
• 2011 Mazda Mazda2. Zoom-zoom concentrated in a B-car?
• 2010 Mini Concepts. A talking car, a new roadster, a slick coupe?
• 2011 Mitsubishi i-MIEV. Maker charging into battery market.
• 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder. Light, fast, pure, and maybe too crude?
• 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost. Luxury maker gives up the Ghost.
• 2010 Subaru STi Spec Edition. Performance — and a $2,000 discount.
• 2011 Toyota Sienna. Can a minivan be sexy?
• 2010 Volkswagen Up! A 70 mpg micro-hybrid concept.

You’ll find other headlines, including:

• Audi A3 TDI Diesel. Named Green Car of the Year.
• Subaru to Launch First Hybrid in 2012.
• Fritz Henderson Out at GM. Original keynote speaker fired.
• GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz laments ouster of CEO Henderson. Is he next?
• Inside the Shake-up at GM.
• Big Luxury Makers Abandon L.A. Auto Show.