Unlike General Motors and Chrysler which have chose not to hold press conferences at this year’s L.A. Auto Show, Ford is using the show as an opportunity to roll out several new models including the Ford Mustang, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan and the Ford Fusion. The centerpiece of the automaker’s next generation Fusion and Milan is hybrid technology, a first for Ford’s popular mid-size sedans.

The hybrid model is the biggest newsmaker as the 2.5L engine (paired with a six-speed automatic transmission) gets class leading city fuel economy, what Ford says will be 6 mpg better than the comparable sized Toyota Camry Hybrid. If that assertion holds up, then the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid will return 39 mpg in the city based on the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid’s EPA certified fuel economy of 33 mpg. In other words, the Ford twins will have the best city fuel economy of any car on the road, even beating out the Smart ForTwo and any diesel or other hybrid model.

Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) members pick Camry LE, Camry Hybrid and RAV4 as category winners for the 2007 Canadian Car of the Year. Toyota Trio were given the top honors. Toyota Camry LE won in the Best New Family Car, Toyota Camry Hybrid, in the Best New Family Car, and Toyota RAV4 V6 Sport in the Best New SUV/CUV category.

“Toyota is very happy to accept these awards and on behalf of everyone at Toyota in Canada, I’d like to thank AJAC’s members for these honors,” said Stephen Beatty, Managing Director at Toyota Canada Inc. “The Toyota Camry is North America’s most popular passenger car. The Toyota Camry Hybrid represents an important evolution of gasoline-electric hybrid technology in the second most popular market segment in Canada. And the redesigned Toyota RAV4 will be manufactured in Woodstock, Ontario when our new assembly plant, currently under construction, begins production in 2008.”

Toyota has been enjoying much success in the US. So much successful, in fact, that they are expected to take over the spot occupied currently by General Motors as the world’s largest car manufacturer. The company has been selling cars which has broken record after record for sales. The company’s lineup also includes models that have won different awards. Not only that, they are also the leading producer of the world’s most popular green car, the Toyota Prius.

But Toyota has recently received another feather on their cap. Aside from breaking their sales record for February, the company was also voted as the 3rd “Most Admired” company in the United States. Fortune magazine conducted a survey on 3,332 executives, directors, and securities analysts in order to seek out the ten most admired companies in the country. The winners of this year’s distinction from Fortune magazine are known for their environment-friendly policies.