LONDON CALLING; 2008 BRITISH SHOW PACKS IN PREMIERES.

Byline: JULIAN RENDELL

The sight of General Motors' new midsize Insignia sedan plummeting earthward in a Mission Impossible-style stunt, set up in the shadow of London's iconic Tower Bridge, may have had some of the GM brass sweating.

But the dramatic unveilthe second time in as many years that GM has chosen London for a global debutis a sign that the British show is elbowing its way back onto the international calendar.

Besides Insignia, which comes to the United States as the next Saturn Aura, there were plenty of globally relevant cars at London: Lotus Evora, Alfa MiTo, Nissan Qashqai+2, Ford Focus RS and Fiesta Zetec S, Seat Ibiza Sport Coupe, Renault Megane R26.R, Honda OSM and Bentley Flying Spur Speed.

The 276-hp, 160 mph-plus Evora (known as Eagle throughout its development) stole the show, in part by keeping its true name secret until the last moment. Lotus says the name refers to "evolution'' and "aura;'' it also is the name of a small town in Portugal.

Production of the first all-new Lotus in more than a decade starts next spring, with the United States getting the car late in 2009 as a 2010 model. An even-hotter Evora also is in the works, featuring a possibly supercharged 3.5-liter V6 pushing peak power to more than 300 hp.

Perhaps the most significant appearance at the show was Alfa, which revealed the MiTo, preferring Mini's backyard to more obvious venues such as Paris or Geneva. The MiTo is a good looker, with a quality interior and crisp sheetmetal. It would play well in the States with gas at $4 per gallon, but don't hold your breath.