Auto show highlights: New noteworthy models

Auto show highlights: New noteworthy models

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Story Published: Nov 7, 2008 at 7:38 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 5:20 AM PDT

By Herb Weisbaum

Car sales are in the toilet right now, so dealers and manufacturers are working hard to get things moving again.

Whether you're in the market to buy or just like to look, there are a lot of 2009 cars and trucks on display this weekend at the Seattle Auto Show.

Does America still want big, big trucks? Ford thinks so. For 2009, it redesigned the best-selling truck in America, the F-150. The platinum series offers luxury and better fuel economy.

Ford's new crossover vehicle, the Flex, seats six and has lots of legroom up front. It gets 24 miles per gallon on the highway and 17 in the city. Features for the Flex, which is priced at around $29,000, include a built-in refrigerator and freezer, as well as seats that are easy to hide.

Toyota also came out with a sleek crossover vehicle called the Venza, which Toyota prefers to call it a five-person vehicle.

"The new Venza is going to ride a lot like a car with the utility of an SUV," said Ken Thompson of Doxxon Toyota.

The Venza will be available with an all-wheel or front-wheel drive. It also has a new lighting system that automatically turns off the high beams when another car approaches, then turns them back on again once the car passes.

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