An ailing auto market has had a major impact on the type of vehicle featured at the auto show this year.  While exotic cars like the Rolls-Royce Ghost, which retails for $245,000, still have a place at the show, the focus is obviously on small cars and minivans like the Toyota Sienna.

In fact, many high-end carmakers won’t even be preset at the L.A. Auto Show this year.  After a year of fierce competition and dismal sales, several exotic car manufacturers, including Maserati, Ferrari, Bentley, and Lamborghini, will be staying home to lick their wounds.

“We had no North American [product] launch, so we decided not to go,” Ferrari spokesman Matteo Sardi told the L.A. Times. “But we value the show, so we’ll definitely be back.”

In the case of this year’s L.A. Auto Show, the absence of the exotic car manufacturers gives regular car companies a chance to shine.  And according to reviews, the 2011 Toyota Sienna stands out from the rest.

As a nod toward the market’s current values of frugality and fuel economy, Toyota has designed the Sienna with a standard 2.7-liter, 4-cylinder engine.  The V-6 will remain an option for consumers, but this new 4-cylinder offers an improvement in fuel economy at 26 miles per gallon on the highway.

Debuting the redesigned Sienna at the L.A. Auto Show represents an aggressive marketing move for Toyota and draws admiration from some car enthusiasts.

“It’s a very straightforward way of doing things,” Dave Thomas, senior editor at  Cars.com, explained the L.A. Times. “A Toyota Sienna minivan? That’s not the type of thing you would normally debut at the L.A. Auto Show. It’s certainly not a sexy car, but it’s a big deal for Toyota.”

Some exotic car fans may be just a little disappointed at the absence of many of the big names.  Despite exotic car ownership hassles like getting an Azle TX insurance quote or finding secure car storage, we all fantasize about driving a Bentley.  Those who wish to indulge the fantasy can find an excellent exotic car rental directory at http://www.rentexoticcars.net.

Luckily, most exotic car manufacturers are not ruling out their attendance at next year’s auto show.

This year’s L.A. Auto Show runs from December 4 through December 13.

Kate Miller-Wilson is an SEO web writer and a professional freelance writer.  To view more of her work, please visit her website.

“The LEAF is a new paradigm of the car,” Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told Reuters.

“LEAF represents a totally new transformational technology that will change the way people drive, use, and power their vehicles. And the time is right for this breakthrough.”

Sales of fuel-efficient vehicles have been one of the few relatively successful areas of the auto business in recent years.  Amid economic and environmental concerns, U.S. consumers are looking for a way to save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

Many consider zero-emissions cars to be the way of the future.

Toyota and other car companies have been focusing on hybrid technology.  With its Prius, Camry Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid, Toyota is clearly betting on the continued success of hybrid vehicles.

Nissan has other fully-electric plans.

Reports indicate that Nissan is betting everything on zero-emissions cars, and they are doing all they can to control every step in the manufacturing of these vehicles.

“With our alliance partner, Renault, we are taking a position which is unique in our industry which is a comprehensive approach that goes beyond our vehicles alone,” said Ghosn. “Our vision includes lithium-ion battery development and lifecycle management, infrastructure support and collaborative partnerships that educate and engage the public.”

Nissan’s website claims that the LEAF “performs like a V6,” although it also lists the car’s top speed at 90 miles per hour.

As long as the car has decent performance, it may not need to offer adrenaline thrills, even for exotic car fans.  That’s because exotic car enthusiasts are discovering a new way to drive their dream cars and still take car of the environment.

You can own a fuel-efficient or zero-emissions vehicle like the LEAF for your daily commute, reducing your reliance on gasoline.  Then on the weekends, you can rent an exotic car or join an exotic car club.

It’s the best of both worlds.  In addition to saving gas and money with your commuter vehicle, you’ll be able to experience the real thrill of driving an exotic vehicle like a Lamborghini or a Bentley.

Renting an exotic car or joining an exotic car club eliminates most of the hassle that goes with owning an exotic vehicle.  In addition to finding secure exotic car storage in Dallas and affordable insurance in Azle, exotic car owners need to deal with maintenance and high car payments.

Vehicles like the Nissan LEAF may soon make it possible to save the environment and still have a great time.  The LEAF will begin appearing in showrooms in late 2010.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer specializing in parenting, cars, genealogy, and crafts. She recently completed SE friendly web content for a Fort Worth Car Storage company.

The show takes place on the final Saturday of every month. Classic BMW provides owners a place to show off a variety of exotic vehicles, including Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches. Classic cars are also welcome, and in September, the dealership hosted 520 vehicles.

Photo by Charles Williams. See more of his excellent photos in his Flickr photostream

“Our specialty is BMW, but we have an affinity for everything automotive, and we want people to know that,” Maas told the Dallas Morning News.

Hosting a show is a creative marketing ploy, to say the least. The majority of show participants are unlikely to buy a new exotic car from Classic BMW. In fact, the Cars and Coffee show doesn’t even provide advertising for Classic BMW, since the dealer isn’t mentioned in ads.

However, as the Cars and Coffee show gains a following, potential customers may trickle into the dealership on their own.

“It’s a challenging economy for everyone right now,” says Ron Sturgeon, owner of a Dallas car storage facility, “but for people in the auto business, it’s even more difficult. This is some great creative marketing.”

For Maas, it’s also about something even bigger. He coordinates donations for each show, often for causes like leukemia and Alzheimer’s research. He’s hoping that more participants will mean even larger donations.

“I think we could have shows where if we have 2,500 or 3,000 people showing up, we could raise $2,000,” he says. “That’s kind of an informal goal.”

With the way attendance numbers have been increasing, it’s likely that Maas will meet his donation goal. Dallas area residents are excited about exotic vehicles, and they are turning out in droves for the Cars and Coffee event.

For exotic car fans, events like Cars and Coffee are a great way to get a close look at exciting vehicles. If you want an even closer look without the expense of owning an exotic car, you can try exotic car rental.

Owing exotic cars can be costly. On top of the high purchase price, you have basic upkeep of your vehicle to consider. You also need to find a great deal on car insurance, which isn’t always easy for exotic vehicle owners.

Another great ownership alternative is joining an exotic car sharing club. Car club members have access to an entire garage of exotic cars and can use points to drive those cars whenever they like.

When it comes to exotic vehicles, Maas wants the public to know that his dealership is excited about everything.

“Our specialty is BMW,” he says, “but we have an affinity for everything automotive, and we want people to know that.”

Kate Miller-Wilson is a professional freelance writer, specializing in cars, crafts, genealogy, and parenting.

David has taken some sensational photos of the 1955 Chevy.

(Photo Credit: Dallas Classic Car Examiner David Graves)

If your garage has gotten too full to store your classic car collection, check out Dallas Car Storage, a Fort Worth TX company that specializes in securely storing antique and collectible cars.

Mark has some beauties in his private car collection. He even has one of the original 1967 Eleanor Mustangs. His is one of 11 that were used in the film. How cool is that?

Anyway, check out David’s article and the great pics of the 1955 Chevy.

Post written by Eric Anderson. Eric’s recent writing projects include content for a Wesley Chapel FL Mortage broker.

According to an article in e-week, production of the all-electric Model S sedan prototype hinges on whether the Department of Energy will provide a 350 million dollar loan to kick start production.

(Photo by Josh Davis-Fort Worth, TX. All rights reserved. Used with permission.)

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, is a founder of Paypal, so you can see that Tesla executives are also the sort of hard luck cases seen in the early parts of Slumdog Millionaire.

How about you cats develop the electric car with your own money? Just a thought.

If the world can’t wait to be green and you’re so convinced that everyone will want a Model S for $49,000, why not produce it without putting the government on the hook? Certainly $350 million is pocket change for Brin and Page, and 350 million doesn’t amount to a sparrow fart in the cosmic scheme of current bailouts, but–on principle–I don’t like it.

Speaking of money, Fort Worth exotic car photographer Josh Davis sent me a few money shots of Friday’s 2000 Horsepower Tour held by DFW Drive Your Dream. Participants drove five supercars back-to-back in what must have been a fun day of motoring. So far as I know, no taxpayer money was used in staging the event. I wouldn’t turn down a ticket to a day of driving supercars, but driving the Audi R8 and Ferrari 360 top my list of desirable six figure rides.

Should you wish to enjoy a little top down high octane fun, visit http://www.dfwdriveyourdream.com and find out how you can drive a Ferrari 360, Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8, Dodge Viper, and Porsche 911 all in one day! It looks like a Bentley GTC was substituted for the 911 on Friday’s tour…

Post by SE friendly content writer Eric Anderson. Opinions expressed are soley his own. Eric’s recent writing prjects include content for a Wesley Chapel, FL mortgage broker website and a Dallas car storage website.