NEW YORK Whether it's the fastest, safest, biggest, smallest or most fuel-efficient car, you still need a gimmick to lure folks into the showroom.

Infiniti has got one and is using the New York Auto Show to unveil it in the EX concept, a compact crossover that will join the lineup at the end of this year as a companion to the FX.

Its gimmick? The Around View Monitor. Using the navigation system screen, cameras mounted in the grille, side-view mirrors and rear roof provide a 360-degree look at what's upfront, along the sides and in back when parking.

"It won't park itself like that other guy, but it will let you park faster," said Nissan spokesman Kyle Bazemore, referring to the Lexus LS460 sedan that does park on its own.

Anyone who has attempted the Lexus system, however, learns preparing to park while reading the sensor locations, pushing all the buttons and turning all the dials before letting go of the wheel and repeating the steps after you miss the curb by 6 feet the first few tries takes a lot more time than tossing the key to the valet and being done with it.

The EX also offers a liquid crystal glass roof that can change from transparent to translucent at the touch of button.

With the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger muscle cars coming soon, Ford's pushing speed. It's preparing a new Mustang derivative for next spring, the 2008 Shelby GT500KR inspired by the 1968 Mustang KR, with a 5.4-liter, 540-horsepower, supercharged V-8, hood scoops, twist-down hood pins and front air dam. Only 1,000 to be sold with numbered 40th anniversary dash plaques for collectors.

"Ford is concerned about Camaro and Challenger and needs more Mustang derivatives to take them on," said Art Spinella, general manager of CNW Marketing Research. "We've heard the next version of the Mustang convertible is going to be a retractable hardtop for that reason and because people have become so noise and security conscious."

At Jeep, the gimmick is the MyGIG multimedia system arriving this fall in the redesigned Grand Cherokee after first appearing in the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring sedans. It comes with navigation, audio, entertainment and communication systems. It can store 1,600 songs and show real-time traffic, including accidents ahead. And the entertainment portion includes the first application of satellite TV in the Grand Cherokee so the kids can watch the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. Other new options are heated first- and second-row seats and self-leveling headlamps.

Gadgets aside, the compact Liberty gets an overhaul this fall.

As head of vehicle design, Trevor Creed lets curves and creases do his talking.

So it wasn't surprising that it took him only a few words to explain why the Liberty hasn't fared as well as the automaker had hoped.

"It went soft. It lost its Jeepness. We're putting it back," he said. "In the future, Compass will be the 'soft' Jeep for us," he said of the compact crossover built at Belvidere.

The compact Dodge Nitro shares platforms with Liberty, but Nitro is more rugged, and 60 percent of its buyers are men looking for adventure. Liberty demographics are the opposite, 60 percent females looking for something cute that's easy to park.

In addition to a more rugged design, the 2008 Liberty will feature a power canvas "Sky Slider" top that opens over front or back seat or both, remote start and rain-sensing wipers. And it now comes with 18-inch, all-season radials (up from 17-inchers), Hill Descent control to keep the vehicle from rolling too fast downhill when off-roading, Hill Start to keep it from rolling when started while off-roading and trailer-sway control that applies the brakes to slow the vehicle when it detects the trailer hauling your Bass Boat is wiggling on the road.

Finally, with gas prices on the way back up, consider that Jeep is upgrading the 4.7-liter V-8 in its 2008 Grand Cherokee to 291 h.p. from 235, and Lexus is replacing its LX470 SUV and its 4.7-liter, 268-h.p. V-8, with the LX570 and a 5.7-liter, 383-h.p.V-8 this fall.

The Genesis of a luxury brand

Ford used the New York Auto Show to unveil the production version of the Flex. You may remember it as the Ford Fairlane crossover when it bowed in concept form on the 2005 auto-show circuit.

Chevy will be there, too, with a trio of concept minis offering 40 mpg plus without using batteries.

Ditto Chrysler Group. It unveils the next-generation Jeep Liberty and restyled Grand Cherokee.

But all eyes, including Ford's, Chevy's and Chrysler's, will be on a concept from Hyundai: the Genesis, a full-size, rear-wheel-drive luxury car.

Genesis is to Hyundai as Lexus is to Toyota, Acura to Honda, Infiniti to Nissan, as well as Cadillac to General Motors, Lincoln to Ford, and Chrysler to, well, Chrysler.

It's a step-up offering aimed at blue bloods rather than blue collars.

With Genesis, the South Korean automaker that began here in '86 with a $4,995, entry-level Excel has set its sights on $30,000 car for the 2009 model year.

The domestics gave the low-profit econocar market to the Japanese in the '70s, and the Japanese took the high-profit luxury market from the domestics in the '90s with Lexus, Infiniti and Acura.

Now, as the Chinese prepare to take the economy market from the Japanese, a South Korean hopes to grab some of the lux bucks from the Japanese.

Score one for globalization.

"Genesis is one of the most important cars at the show," notes John Wolkonowicz, senior analyst for Global Insight. "But Hyundai is sensitive the concept looks a little like a Camry so the front and rear ends will be changed on the production car."

Genesis is built on a 115.6-inch wheelbase and is 197 inches long, about the size of a top-of-the-line Lexus LS. It's powered by a 4.6-liter V-8 with a 6-speed automatic, also about the same as the LS.

Features include all-wheel-drive, electronic stability control, heated/cooled seats, push-button start, navigation system with backup camera, adaptive cruise control to keep a safe distance from other vehicles, satellite radio and Bluetooth technology.

It will be positioned at about $30,000 and sold as a Hyundai though many say Hyundai should create a luxury brand like Lexus, Acura and Infiniti maybe a Genesis luxury channel.

"Does the Hyundai name have the stature, or should Hyundai create its own luxury brand like Toyota did? An educated guess is that it would sell better with a unique, premium brand name," Wolkonowicz said.

Hyundai spokesman Chris Hosford said a luxury channel is being considered, but Genesis will be sold as a Hyundai, though maybe not as Genesis.

"Everyone knows that Toyota owns Lexus, Honda Acura and Nissan Infiniti. The Hyundai name is getting stronger, but is it strong enough to support a luxury brand? That question still needs to be answered," he said.

As for Flex, "it's the next big thing for Ford. It could make a difference because it comes into a fast growing segment of large (crossovers) where there isn't a lot of competition other than from GM (Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook). If Ford executes well, it could be successful," Wolkonowicz says.

"Any new product is vital to Ford, and Fairlane has played well in focus groups," added Art Spinella, general manager of CNW Marketing Research. It also will have three rows of seats, unlike the current Ford Edge Crossover with only two rows.

Flex is a stretch of the Five Hundred sedan soon to be Taurus.

It helps product-poor Ford that Flex will be joined by a Lincoln version. But will customers wait until the 2009 model year?

Candid camera

President Ron Gettelfinger told the United Auto Workers union annual meeting in Detroit last week that enough is enough when it comes to concessions for domestic automakers.

But might be hard to get sympathy when negotiating a contract this year after a Detroit TV station caught several UAW members spending up to four hours a day at lunch in nearby bars when they were supposed to be on a Ford assembly line.

(Write to Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune, 616 Atrium Drive, Vernon Hills, IL 60061-1523, or send e-mail, including name and hometown, to jmateja@tribune.com. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.)