PROVIDENCE If you are in the market for a new car or truck, or just want to check out some sexy concept cars — the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve is an absolute beauty — the Northeast International Auto Show is offering a wide range.

The show, which runs through tomorrow evening, is at the Rhode Island Convention Center on Sabin Street in Providence.

The newly styled Ford F150 pickup truck, which arrives straight from last week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, is well represented by an “Amber Gold” model on a raised turntable.

“When you’re competing against yourself, you have to keep taking it up a notch to stay number one,” said Herschel Wurman, a product specialist with Ford, pointing out side steps and a rear grab bar and step up. The F150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for 24 years and the best-selling truck for 31 years.

And the Audi S5 coupe in “Come and Get Me Officer” red and armed with a 4.2 liter V8 and 354 horses is a standout, as was the price at nearly $60,000. Audi has a wide range of vehicles on display, including its Q7 SUV with a sun/moon roof that extends back to the storage area, as does its equally well-heeled German cousin, Mercedes-Benz, whose four-door S550 sedan at a base price of $90,000 (actual $103,000!) is probably the most expensive vehicle in the show.

Overall, some 25 manufacturers are represented with Detroit’s Big Three making strong car, SUV and pickup truck showings on the main level while Asian manufacturers fill the upper gallery.

Indeed, the big boys are well represented by a wide range of vehicles, including Hummers, the stylish Buick Enclave, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Acadia and Yukon, plus Cadillac’s Escalade and STS V6 sports sedan and Lincoln’s Navigator. Ford’s Volvo and GM’s Saab are also on the main floor.

At the same time, a number of smaller cars catch the eye in these unsettled times. They include the Audi A3, Volvo C30 and Volkswagen’s sporty R32 at the luxury end, and the Chevrolet HHR, Dodge Caliber, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa, Saturn Astra, Suzuki SX4, Toyota Matrix (and Yaris) and Scions xD and less boxy xB at the $15,000 or so range.

As ever, the Toyota Prius looks sensible in its granola crunchy way and continues to lead the hybrid race while others dither.

Speaking of hybrids, Nissan has its 2008 Altima sedan and coupe as well as the Altima hybrid (35/33 mpg) on show. Consumer Reports rated the V6 Altima the best mid-priced (base around $21,000) sedan in its February issue, edging out the Toyota Camry which is also around $21,000 and the Honda Accord (the EXC V6 at the show is priced at $28,000). A very fancy Chevrolet Malibu LTZ with two-tone seats is base priced at $26,000.

Nissan also has its Rogue SL AWD on display. “It has the capability of an SUV and the road manners of a sedan,” said Michael Falzarano, Nissan’s regional advertising specialist in the Northeast. The vehicle slots into the small SUV/crossover division currently dominated by the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 and all three are base priced around $22,000, a couple thousand less than the Hyundai Tucson LTW at $24,500 and considerably less than the Mazda CX-7 at $28,000.

Mazda has its hardtop MX-5 as well as the Speed3 and CX-9, which last year Motor Trend named its SUV of the year.

Muscle comes in the form of a pretty TorRed Dodge Charger R/T 5.7 liter HEMI, a Shelby GT Mustang in blue with white center stripe and a Mustang Bullitt in dark green with honeycomb grille. How many more dresses can they put on the pony?

And a yellow Saturn Sky plays TweedleDee to an equally yellow Pontiac Solstice TweedleDum.

The only significant gap is BMW, which is certainly an everyday car, albeit upmarket. And sadly no Smart car, which would have been sure to attract attention. Both Inskip and Herb Chambers got deliveries of the pintsize two-seaters this week.

The nearest thing to a supercar at the show are a couple of Corvettes — a convertible (433 horses) and a Z06 (505 horses)

“It’s the American sports car, comparable to Lamborghinis, Ferraris and turbo-charged Porsches but at a fraction of the price,” said Arthur Abrams, sales and leasing consultant with Balise Chevrolet of Warwick.

He said his clients have changed somewhat over the years. “They are a little older and not interested in “jack-rabbiting from the lights, just the pleasure of the drive,” he said, noting the new design delivers just that.

Bikes are also represented by Razee Motorcycle, Honda Suzuki World and Middletown-based Vectrix. Its Zero Emission Vehicle electric scooter can carry two people at about 60 mph and costs less than $2 to travel its range of 60 miles on one charge.

Sales assistant Amanda Mulligan said sales in December were stronger than in August when the company’s flagship store opened on Touro Street in Newport. “Sales are definitely picking up,” she said.

Car dealers are eternal optimists, so don’t ask one about the gloomy economic predictions coming out of Washington and Detroit.

“It’s not the first time the industry has gone through this,” said Robert Lallier, president of County Pontiac in Pawtucket and president of the Rhode Island Automobile Dealers Association, which is presenting the show along with Motor Trend Auto Shows. “It’s a cyclical business.”

Indeed, the lead article in the Jan. 14 issue of Automotive News cites Goldman Sachs auto analyst Robert Barry, who is predicting industry sales of 15 million units this year compared with 16.2 million in 2007, and says dealers are ordering fewer new vehicles, stocking more used cars (bigger profits), acquiring fewer dealerships and trimming inventories.

“Unfortunately, all of us have short memories,” said William Lee, vice president of RIADA and vice president of Colony Ford Truck & RV Center in Warwick, referring to market downturns in 1980 and 1990.

Lallier agreed. “1980 was horrible; 1990 was not quite as bad,” he said. “On the positive side, interest rates are low, there are incentives and better warranties and the variety of products is expanding, from hybrids to crossovers. There’s so much to choose from.”

“We need to get that confidence back,” he said.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Joseph Appelbe, executive vice president and general manager of Subaru of New England. “We had the best December in the history of the franchise. And so far January is 15 percent ahead of last year.”

He said he expects a better year because of new products, citing the redesigned Forrester and Outback Sport as examples of vehicles that he expects to freshen the Subaru line.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Admission is $9 for adults (13 and over), $6 for senior citizens (62 and over) and $4 for children (7 through 12). Children 6 and younger are admitted free with a paying adult. On Sunday, Kids’ Day, children 12 and under are admitted free.

For more information, see:

www.providenceauto show.com

www.riadaonline.com

You can see aslideshowandmultimediapresentationfromtheNortheastInternationalAutoShowattheProvidenceConventionCenterat projoCars.com