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When it arrives in U.S. showrooms in spring 2009, the new Lexus IS Convertible will do two things for the Toyota luxury brand: give it a reason to dump the slow-selling, bathtub-shaped SC convertible, and simultaneously give it a much less expensive hardtop convertible with which to fight the onslaught of folders like the new BMW 335i Convertible.

The Lexus IS Convertible will come in two flavors: 250 and 350, based on the displacement of its engines. The IS 250C sports a 204-hp, 2.5-liter V-6 and a choice of automatic or manual six-speed gearboxes. The IS 350C, meanwhile, offers up 306 horsepower and a six-speed automatic.

The hardtop convertible part of the equation is straightforward; it opens or closes in 21 seconds, and gives the appearance of a hardtop coupe when closed--although, like nearly all of its kind, it's a far-better looking beast with the top down. The aluminum three-piece roof folds in a compact way and preserves good luggage space, Lexus says. The conversion to a two-door makes the Convertible's doors nearly a foot longer than the front pair in the sedan; hence, Lexus applies a one-touch seat mechanism for easier access to the two small rear seats.

Lots of tweaks give the IS Convertibles more aero flair, and acoustic glass and additional sealing around the glass give it coupe-like noise levels when the roof is raised. Elsewhere inside, the gauges have been revamped for better visibility, and the climate control's been tweaked for top-down use--as is the sound system. Outside, LED lighting and a spoiler are standard.

Nothing on pricing in today's announcements; stay tuned as we bring you more on the IS Convertible later this year.

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Saab's showing more of the 9-X Air BioHybrid concept, a new concept revealed at the Paris auto show this morning.

The new concept's Speedster-like "Canopy Top" gives a different spin on the notion of a Saab convertible, while the rear deck maintains a certain height to provide better crash protection than ordinary convertibles, Saab says in a release. The four-seat concept's top stacks neatly beneath that rear pillar line. With the top up, Saab says, the Air sports a real coupe profile.

The BioHybrid concept shares the powertrain of the 9-X concept shown last year--a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that's ethanol-capable.

Take note of the nifty electronica on the dash and door panels, where translucent plastic hides Bionic Man-style graphics that change according to function--as the 9-X asks this go-round, should it accept or decline the Mondiale de l'Automobile? All signs point to "accept." There's plenty of white-on-grey action in the compact four-seat cabin, like a downer day in Stockholm, but the dash is artfully wrapped around the driver and there's a clear indication of buildability in the 9-X's proportions and interior package.

More tech details to follow--this morning, enjoy some photos from the show floor:

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True, the Ferrari press conference has yet to take light--and yet with the unveiling last night of the fabulous Lamborghini Estoque concept, the fat-rumped California hardtop convertible from Italy's other supercar maker looked decidedly frumpy on the Paris show floor. And alone. Very alone.

The new California is a small GT car developed with the Porsche 911, Aston V8 Vantage, and the Lamborghini Gallardo in its sights. Ferrari promises the new car will satisfy even the most demanding of owners in term of its superb vehicle dynamics and driving pleasure.

How certain of that you can be, we're not sure. The California will be the first Ferrari to offer a retracting hardtop; it's crafted from aluminum, though, which could keep the weight down in the new convertible.

A new 4.3-liter V-8 powers the California, and Ferrari promises it'll develop 460 horsepower and have "a torque curve that enhances vehicle dynamics and provides maximum driving pleasure which is typical for Ferrari." Teamed to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the engine will push the California to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds.

A multilink suspension is in place underneath the coachwork, and Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes will be standard.

We'll have more details later on the California, but in the meantime, please to enjoy these live shots from the show floor:

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Long the purveyor of iconic cars (such as the 300 SLR Gullwing) that only the sickeningly rich can afford to purchase and maintain, today Mercedes-Benz announces a new edition of the SLR McLaren Roadster, the 722 S.

The big news is in the engine room, where 650 horsepower now moves the Roadster to 62 mph quicker (3.7 seconds) and on to a higher top speed (355 km/h, nearly 221 mph) than the standard SLR McLaren Roadster. "More dynamic suspension tuning and improved aerodynamics," according to Mercedes, round out the necessary changes to this new edition with frightening levels of performance.

In explaining the nomenclature of this new model, Mercedes says it's hearking back to racing legend Stirling Moss' and co-driver Dennis Jenkinson's victory at the 1955 Mille Miglia in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. In that particular event, the 300 SLR's start number was 722.

We wonder if a true gearhead would be OK with this new, limited-edition (150 units) roadster sharing both engine displacement and fundamental engine design with the G55 AMG truck SUV. Or that it makes do with only an old-school, five-speed torque converter automatic transmission in the sparkling new world of dual-clutch automated manuals or Mercedes' own seven-speed torque converter automatic. Not that a beast this powerful needs lots of gears or even tech like direct injection to achieve its stunning performance numbers. But shouldn't the most money buy you the most tricked-out toy?

Image-first types like Donald Trump are surely the target market for convertibles like this, but we doubt his comb-over would survive the the journey to 221 mph and back.--Colin Mathews

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If you're like most of America, gas prices have made a huge impact on how you drive, how you live, and what you expect from your next new car. Prices are heading higher, gas is less available in some areas (here in metro Atlanta, it's hit or miss finding a fully supplied station, much less premium fuel).

With the obsession over gas prices likely here to stay in the near-term--and who knows where prices will go once the economy stabilizes--TheCarConnection.com's editors have sifted the data from our latest car reviews to bring you the best vehicles for great fuel economy.

TCC rates vehicles by weighing our and other reviewers' opinions of a vehicle's styling, performance, comfort and quality, safety, and features to arrive at an overall number from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest possible score in each attribute. At first, we planned to rate only vehicles that offer 30-plus mpg in the EPA's highway cycle. However, neither the van nor the truck categories yielded any vehicles that could touch 30 mpg. In those cases, we looked for vehicles getting 25 mpg or better in highway mileage, which eliminated a huge swath of vehicles from contention--much as it's doing today at auto dealerships across the country.

Not surprisingly, gas-electric hybrids won three of our six categories: sedan, SUV/wagon, and green car. The van category, a field dominated by V-6s, was swept by a cleverly packaged compact van. Among trucks, a stalwart four-cylinder took top honors. And among two-doors, one automaker proves efficiency can be thrilling.

Follow the links below to find out more about our numeric ratings and to read full reviews of the winners:

Sedans: The Honda Civic Hybrid, combining Honda's IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) introduced back on the original Honda Insight, a diminutive four-cylinder, and a continuously variable transmission ring in at 40/45 mpg city/highway EPA and nets our top pick as a fuel-sipping sedan. The Civic Hybrid also took our honors for the Green category, beating out the Toyota Prius by 0.6 point.

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Two-doors: Proving, as we mentioned, that fun can also be quite frugal, the BMW-designed MINI Cooper Convertible gets our nod for highest-rated, fuel-efficient two-door. The second-gen MINIs benefit from a new engine design with ultra-efficient direct injection, and in either naturally aspirated (23/32 mpg) or turbocharged (21/29 mpg) EPA form, the MINI Cooper Convertible is a well-designed, frisky runabout with go-kart reflexes and plenty of power.

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SUVs/wagons: FoMoCo's well-designed (and freshly updated for '09) small SUV gas/electric hybrid duo, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, won our SUV/wagon category. Employing a newly designed 2.5-liter four that uses miserly Atkinson-cycle technology, the Escape and Mariner hybrids are capable of electric-only propulsion at low speeds and manage stellar EPA mileage ratings of 34/31 mpg.

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Vans: Mazda's funky-yet-sensible Mazda5, our pick for the Van category, makes the most of its Mazda 3 underpinnings to offer respectable interior capacity while delivering better mileage than the competition. We found that "clever engineering makes good use of what space is available," and in a thirsty segment the Mazda's 22/28 EPA mpg (with five-speed manual) are downright impressive.

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Pickup trucks: As mentioned, there's not a lot in the realm of fuel-efficient pickups, and even mid-size and small trucks make do with older-tech gasoline engines that, when combined with a truck's aerodynamic inefficiencies, don't do much for mpg. Our highest-rated, most fuel-efficient pickup was Toyota's Tacoma 2WD four-cylinder, which was ranked at 20/25 mpg city/highway by the EPA.