Metal mettle up for show in LA

There was also the traditional cast of LA stars, including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tiger Woods and Molly Sims smiling in front of their sponsor's cars.

Some of the car stars included the Giugiaro Mustang, Volkswagen Tiguan and Aston Martin V8 Vantage convertible that we featured last week.

More show specials have since been unveiled, ranging from wild to wilder.

One of the most eye-catching cars is the Hyundai Hellion, which could point to some of the company's future design themes.

It is an aggressive three-door crossover hatch aimed at young American drivers. Its exterior skin is wrapped around a rib-cage system that forms the car's safety structure, and the wheel arches have been flared.

The slit headlights flow back into the front wheel arches, and the flat tail-lights protrude from the rear windows.

Hyundai designers have also made a feature of a turbo air scoop on the bonnet to emphasise the car's performance.

A 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel sits under the bonnet, connected to a six-speed automatic transmission that feeds drive to all four wheels.

The Hellion sits on 20-inch alloy wheels that are Teflon coated to repel mud, road grime and brake dust.

Honda was not about to be upstaged and rolled out two very different concepts.

The Remix is a sleek coupe that Honda says is just a design concept.

If it was to eventually make it into production, the Remix could become a new-age CRX.

Finished with polished aluminium, the low-slung two-door explores the possibility of a lightweight sportscar.

Honda says the two-seater four-cylinder Remix has a wrap-around canopy that gives the interior a jet-like feel, but the rear hatch section provides a practical load space.

The other Honda concept rolled out at Los Angeles indicates the Japanese carmaker is considering following the lead of Toyota and introducing a box-style small car aimed at young people.

The Step Bus concept, which follows the cubic shape of Toyota's Scion XB, is described by Honda as the ultimate urban utility vehicle.

"The Step Bus seeks to create the largest possible interior with the smallest possible exterior," Honda US vice-president John Mendel says.

Fitted with a small, mid-mounted engine, the Step Box is rear-drive and has seating for five people.