LOS ANGELES -- Against a backdrop of tumult in the automobile industry, the Los Angeles auto show kicks off this week at the downtown convention center. Press previews begin early Wednesday morning with a keynote address by Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Nissan, according to The New York Times.

The show opens to the public on Friday, Nov. 21, and continues through Nov. 30.

Even as Detroit automakers, led by cash-strapped General Motors, are pleading their case in Washington for bailouts from the federal government, here they are again unveiling the latest in tire-smoking sports cars, gas-guzzling S.U.V.'s and trucks, and weighty luxury liners.

But yes, there will also be a number of alternative-fuel, hybrid and electric vehicles, intended to prove how deeply the industry cares about the environment and how it is starting to break its profligate reliance on fossil fuels.