LA Auto Show 2011

There’s no better illustration of the gulf between auto enthusiasts and everyday car buyers than this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Few automakers rolled out the hybrids and electric vehicles that dominated past shows; those that did were overshadowed by 180-mph sports cars and hot hatchbacks. But the new stars with the best box-office prospects were a trio of boxy small SUVs: the Honda CR-V, the Ford Escape and the Mazda CX-5. Americans demand for tall wagons with all-wheel-drive — the cross-training sneakers of the auto world — has never been more fervent, and for their makers, high stakes.

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Getty Images Photo By Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Wed, Nov 16, 2011 6:05 PM EST

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 16: The new Porsche Panamera GTS is unveiled by race car drivers Romain Dumas (L) and Patrick Long at the LA Auto Show on November 16, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The car show opens to the public on Friday and runs through November 27. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 16: The new Porsche Panamera GTS is unveiled by race car drivers Romain Dumas (L) and Patrick Long at the LA Auto Show on November 16, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The car show opens to the public on Friday and runs through November 27. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)