Auto makers are awaiting and negotiating bailouts, consumers can’t get loans to buy cars and auto suppliers are going out of business. But the New York International Auto Show must go on!

And go on it did; the annual car show kicked off today at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It was business as usual — sort of.

Signs of economic ills

The New York International Auto Show had just as many cars as it has in years past, but a bit of the excess was missing. Newsday reports that “displays were subdued.” The lavish, festive parties that usually accompany the show also seemed to be missing. I have to give them credit for that; throwing a pricey party doesn’t look good when you’re waiting for billions in short-term loans.

Eco-friendly everywhere

Companies avoided talking about the green they are losing and instead focused on the green initiatives they’d come  up with.

“Each automaker is prominently displaying new hybrid and diesel technology on the first morning of the show: BMW’s X6 hybrid, Bentley’s bio-fuel-friendly Continental Supersports, Mercedes-Benz’s new E-Class and Audi’s Q5 TDI,” reports Forbes.

All about the MPGs

Many auto makers promised more fuel-efficient cars, including Land Rover. The company’s managing director said it won’t be long before Land Rover comes out with an SUV that gets 40 mpg. That’s quite an improvement from Chrysler’s promise that its 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee could get up to 23 mpg.

Of course there were some fully electric cars on display, including the Mini E. The two-seater can go up to 156 miles on a charge and can be plugged into any standard power outlet.

Vying for a piece of the luxury market

GM and Segway's PUMA Project was displayed at the New York Auto Show.

While  some companies tried to lure eco-minded individuals, others tried to creep into the minds of consumers with luxury on the brain. The 2010 Acura ZDX has gotten plenty of attention for its sporty body style and new high-tech bells and whistles.

Edmunds Inside Line calls the car “a blatant bid to lure affluent customers away from BMW and Infiniti.” Sadly, though, after unveiling the prototype, an Acura spokesman said the company “will not be announcing the engine size.”