NEW YORK — In recent years, the messages delivered at auto shows have often been mixed or garbled, especially during times when oil prices swung wildly. Carmakers floated burly SUVs just as consumers decided they wanted hybrids; hybrids arrived just as consumers decided it was safe to re-up with an SUV.

But at this year’s New York International Auto Show, automakers seem on-message — and on the same page with consumers — with a focus on fuel economy, no matter the type of vehicle. Even diversions created for media attention are well-intended: an appearance by Kiss band members for Mini promoted a charity auction of four customized Countryman models.

Mark Reuss, General Motors’ North American president, said that today, despite energy volatility and disasters both natural and man-made, GM and other automakers can only sharpen their focus and avoid short-term distractions.

“We’ve quit trying to predict gas prices and Libyan crises, and to just get a solid business model that grows share and profits,” Reuss said.

As the last major show of the season — it runs through May 1 — New York’s show is one last chance for automakers to wow shoppers with their latest creations. Stressing the influence of fuel-economy numbers, companies suggested that 40 mpg has become the new 30.

For compacts like the new Honda Civic — perhaps the most critical mass-appeal car unveiled here — membership in the growing 40-mpg club has become a no-excuses requirement. From now on, cars that fail to measure up might well be hooted off the show stage.

The Civic avoided that fate with a frugal HF model whose 41 mpg highway rating tops any rival equipped with an automatic transmission. A new Civic Hybrid betters that at 44/44 mpg for city and highway.

Even the athletic Mazda 3, once a fuel-economy laggard, now boasts 40 highway mpg. The 2012 model that goes on sale this fall uses an advanced gasoline engine technology the company calls Skyactiv. The 2012 Subaru Impreza sedan can’t chin the 40-mpg bar but it manages 36, impressive for an all-wheel-drive car. Perhaps more than any car at the show, it was a Mercedes-Benz design study, the Concept A-Class, that signaled what might be the new normal. Sensing that Americans would reject its compact yet utilitarian hatchback, Mercedes had not brought the A-Class to the United States. But a strikingly reimagined A-Class design study will spawn production versions that combine luxury and 4-cylinder economy.

Here are some of the significant showroom models in New York:

BMW Z4 sDrive 28i

The Z4 roadster recently jazzed up its styling inside and out. Now the 2012 base model, on sale this fall, gets BMW’s first 4-cylinder engine in the United States since the 318ti of 1999. A 2-liter, twin-scroll turbocharged 4-cylinder steps in for the previous 3-liter in-line 6, delivering 240 horses and 260 pound-feet of torque.

Chevrolet Malibu

Looking to capitalize on the well-received Malibu sedan, Chevy’s reworked 2013 model borrows Camaro styling cues, including its rectangular taillamps, while muscling up and adding space with a three-inch gain in width.

Fiat 500C

On the stylish stiletto heels of the 500 coupe, the 500c cabriolet offers a retractable canvas awning. The al fresco Fiat goes on sale this spring, starting at around $19,500.

Ford Taurus and Taurus SHO

Showroom-bound next spring as 2013 models, the mildly reworked Taurus and high-performance SHO get more-appealing interiors with Ford’s latest MyTouch infotainment system. The Limited model will add a fuel-efficient 2-liter Ecoboost engine, with a twin-turbocharged Ecoboost V-6 soldiering on in the SHO.

Honda Civic

Honda seems to be betting that subtle improvements, not radical design changes, will keep the 2012 Civic ensconced as a best-seller. But the new Civic’s interior, unimaginative in its styling and choice of plastics, seemed to please no one. (The Civic Si version’s cabin was a happy exception). The fully redesigned Civic is available in coupe, sedan, hybrid, spunky Si and natural-gas-powered editions. Already on sale, the Civic’s prices cover an equally broad swath, from a DX coupe at $16,355 to $27,500 for a loaded Hybrid.

Hyundai Accent

Starting at just over $13,000, Hyundai’s entry-level model costs more but delivers more, with a sedan and hatchback that trade formerly forgettable styling for the shapely “fluidic” design language of the larger Elantra and Sonata. On sale in May, the 2012 Accent manages 138 horsepower from a 1.6-liter engine, with six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

Kia Rio

In a show where econoboxes seemed to breed like Tribbles on the original “Star Trek,” the Rio actually managed to stand out, thanks to the talented efforts of Kia’s design chief, Peter Schreyer. The Rio hatchback goes on sale in summer, the sedan in fall, both starting at $12,990. The Kia should earn the coveted 40-mpg rating from the EPA. It shares its 1.6-liter, 138-horsepower engine with its Hyundai Accent sibling, but adds a fuel-saving engine stop-start system.

Jeep Grand Cherokee

SRT8 Huge and hugely handsome — at least for performance SUV fans — the SRT8 is stoplight-ready, ripping off the 0-60 run in 4.8 seconds, thanks to 465 horsepower from its 6.4-liter Hemi V-8. The Jeep goes on sale in May for a price of roughly $45,000.

Nissan Versa

With 1.6 liters and 109 horsepower, the all-new Versa will take on other penny-pinchers this summer — including a bare-bones model starting at just $10,990 excluding the delivery charge. The Versa targets a 30/37 mpg rating in city and highway, aided by either a five-speed manual or continuously variable automatic.

Subaru Impreza

The styling may be tame by Subaru’s standards, but the Impreza sedan keeps its signature all-wheel-drive system, a useful foul-weather feature that’s not available on any compact rival but one that adds weight and handicaps mileage. A new 148-horsepower 2-liter opposed 4-cylinder engine is paired with either a five-speed manual transmission or a CVT, with projected fuel economy of up to 27/36 mpg in city and highway.

Volkswagen Beetle

The 2012 Beetle, to be built in Mexico, will seek more than senoritas with its less cutesy shape and more manly interior. Karl Bischoff, the update’s designer, called his baby “more power than flower.” Indeed, the previous Beetle’s flower-bud vase is gone, replaced by raised auxiliary instruments. The engine trio comprises a 170-horse 4, a 200-horse turbo 4 and a 2-liter diesel 4 that reaches the new magic number of 40 highway mpg.

Here are some of the design studies that automakers introduced to the press in New York:

Lexus LF-GH

Auto journalists roundly savaged the Lexus concept, the show’s consensus ugly duckling with its echo-of-Audi grille and woozy tangle of styling cues. Unveiled on the eve of the show’s media days, the LF-Gh highlights the company’s supposed new styling direction, and a high-performance hybrid system whose details Lexus left to the imagination.

Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class

Hatchback fans will need to be patient, but luxurious offshoots of this lovely A-Class should arrive in America within the next three years. The concept was shown without a full interior, focusing attention on its bravura grille treatment, a shimmering aluminum matrix.

Mazda Minagi

The Minagi will shine as the CX-5 model when it goes on sale next year, a shapely compact crossover that adopts the company’s new Skyactiv suite of fuel-efficient engines, transmissions and other components.

Saab PhoeniX

With Saab production still locked down because of a dispute with unpaid suppliers, the PhoeniX name — if not its actual prospects — proclaims that Saab will rise again. The concept has a 1.6-liter turbo engine, with an electric motor providing an all-wheel-drive boost at the rear. Saab projects a 47 mpg rating if indeed the car — and Saab itself — has a future.

Scion FR-S

Like the A-Class, the Scion was the rare, sporty stunner in a show that was heavy on prosaic economy and family cars. Another take on the long-gestating Toyota-Subaru sports car project, the Scion borrows Subaru’s 2-liter opposed 4-cylinder, mounted as low and rearward as possible to aid handling balance. A showroom model is scheduled for next year.