Even though the top dogs at Detroit’s Big Three battled it out today over federal funding in Washington, D.C., nowhere was the domestic automakers’ collective plight more obvious than the Los Angeles Convention Center, site of the 2008 LA Auto Show. Though the three CEOs might have taken individual private jets from Detroit to D.C., we noticed a bit of crimping from General Motors and, especially, Chrysler.

General Motors, the biggest of the Motown trio and the loudest proponent of government cash, had some cars and a skeleton public relations crew scattered around the show. Making their North American debut were a couple of cars, the mildy revised 2009.5 Pontiac G6 and the new-for-United States Pontiac G3, among others.

Ford, displaying the “full steam ahead” energy that has seemingly become the company’s mantra in recent weeks, pulled out all the stops and unveiled a bevy of important cars: The Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid and Mustang, Mercury Milan and Milan Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ.

And then there was Chrysler.

The Chrysler of ten or twenty years ago – or even earlier in 2008 – used auto shows to make a statement of excitement and energy for the brand. In 1992, the automaker ran the then-new Jeep Grand Cherokee through a glass wall and just months ago, Dodge herded longhorn cattle through the streets of Detroit to introduce the redesigned Ram pickup.

So what did the struggling automaker have in store for the media and, in a couple of days, the public here in Los Angeles?

Cars supplied by local dealers, minimal signage, dated concepts, a dearth of Chrysler representatives and, in the end, little incentive for showgoers to rush out to Chrysler dealers.

Where Chrysler’s efforts at big shows – Detroit, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, now the most important show on the circuit – are typically marked by elaborate displays, this show looked and felt more like the Topeka Auto Show. No offense to Topekans intended, but the lure of international media and hundreds of thousands of visitors make the big shows essential for automakers.

Chrysler decided that, in a cost saving move, it would order local dealers to foot the bill for its presence at the Los Angeles show. This would save Chrysler’s Auburn Hills office the cost of transporting vehicles, signage, displays and, of course, personnel. Instead, minimal signs, a booth for a local radio station and cars pulled direct from local dealership lots – some of which were leftover 2008s – made up the display.

We noticed that three of the four Chrysler Sebrings on display were 2008s – and one of them was festooned with a handful of tasteless aftermarket goodies. Rather than spending on signage to advertise each car, the Monroney stickers were placed next to each car – and, in the case of the Dodge Sprinter pictured, some of them had seen better days.

In Chrysler’s defense, the show did mark the public debut of Chrysler’s surprising electric vehicles based on the Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler Town & Country and a Dodge-badged Lotus Europa. But where were the signs, promotional handouts, product specialists and flashing lights to announce these important cars?

Next to the light shows, interactive displays and fleshy models (of the human variety) gracing other stands, Chrysler’s display was, well, as thrifty as it probably should be for a company running as lean as possible to survive – with the exception of a few executive bonuses. Hey, they’ve got mortgages, too, right?

Is this a sign of the Detroit to come? Should federal funding arrive, all three automakers have promised to curtail spending as much as possible – especially Chrysler, whose CEO, Bob Nardelli, said today that he would take a $1 salary to help the automaker.

Words by Andrew Ganz.

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