Not all large cars are spewing out carbon dioxide, however. BMW's new flagship Seven series sedan manages 32.6 mpg and a class leading (for conventional powertrains) 192 grams of CO2 per km in its 3.0 litre diesel version, the 730d. Volvo also rolled out new diesels in several of its models, as did Subaru. Hybrids generally took a back seat, although with one major exception. Honda revealed the new Insight, a five-seat gas-electric hybrid. Its styling is strikingly similar to the current Toyota Prius -- perhaps not entirely surprising given the overriding need for aerodynamic efficiency in a hybrid -- but the Honda is expected to be cheaper. It fell to BMW's Mini subsidiary to buck the trend toward smaller small cars. It revealed a new Mini crossover variant, which looked like an inflated version of the current model. Despite its somewhat awkward styling, the car received the thumbs up from one leading British auto magazine which noted that the Mini has been a big success in the U.S. and added that if the new version continues to get 'more Americans out of lardy SUVs, that can only be a good thing.' Unfortunately for GM, the company's Opel, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Saab and Hummer brands were gathered in a distant hall that seemed sparsely attended by the media. Those who did check out the 'Halle American' were impressed, however, by the new Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan, the Orlando small crossover, Cadillac's CTS Sportwagon, and of course, the Volt plug-in electric car. Feedback on the Cruze was positive for its styling inside and out, and the CTS drew praise for its quality interior. The company's main European brand, Opel, also demonstrated its design flair, with the elegant Insignia Sports Tourer. All of this bodes well for GM's product appeal in Europe. The march toward compact vehicles was evident at BMW, which rolled out the X1 concept, a junior crossover slotting in beneath the X3 and X5. Plus Audi presented the small A1 Sportback and a remarkably fuel efficient E version of the new A4 sedan (again with a diesel engine and capable of 59 mpg). From Japanese and European automakers, cutting edge microcars were thick on the ground, including Toyota's production version IQ, the Renault 2E electric concept and Nissan NuVu concept and Pixo production city car. While the fuel economy of these microcars is impressive, it's clear that European auto industry leaders are more concerned with another type of economy - the financial kind - as the global financial crisis takes hold in Europe. John McCormick is a columnist for Autos Insider and can be reached at [email protected]