The Los Angeles Auto show is a lot like the 2009 model year: Quiet. There were some notable new introductions, including the Buick Regal, the Ford Fiesta sedan, the Toyota Sienna minivan and the gorgeous Hyundai Sonata, as well as some interesting tidbits for auto enthusiasts, like the Mustang V6 and the Subaru STI Special Edition.
But there were also an awful lot of concepts and new products that were previously revealed at other shows, and several absences. Nissan and Infiniti don't have a booth, and the concourse triangle -- traditionally home to Ferrari's gorgeous cars flanked by gorgeous models -- stands sadly empty. "It can easily cost seven figures to have a display and a press conference at the LA Auto Show," Steve Keyes, Director of Public Relations for Volkswagen of America, told me. "But it's worth it, because around 70% of the people who come to auto shows are considering a purchase in the near term, between 6 months and a year."
The attitude of the automakers seems to be cautious optimism -- though clearly beaten down by the lousy economy, many were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Check out my Los Angeles Auto Show photo gallery, and if you're interested in visiting the show yourself, my Visitor's Guide to the LA Auto Show will tell you everything you need to know, including how and where to get discount tickets. The show is open to the public today through December 13th.
Photo © Dwane Ferry
Audi R-8 Spider (WHERE IS THE TDI?), Lotus Evora, Mini Coupe, Boxter Spider…YUM!
Audi E-Tron…um…hmmm…dayglow orange with lowrider wheels…hmmm, somebody took too many meds that day but the car looks cool if you can get around those things.
Domestics…yawn.
Saab 9-5, looks like a Chrysler and you know how well THEY are selling.
LF-A. $350K. What was Lexus thinking?
P-Nut….”Good Grief”! I wonder how many young’uns got that joke! Pretty good Aaron!
One of the most interesting things about this L.A. Auto Show story is what is missing from the show: The 2011 Mustang GT.
Makes me wonder whether Ford is planning something really off-the-wall for the GT, like maybe the turbo-direct-injected V6 from the SHO…?
Steve, the speculation is that the 2011 GT will get a 5 liter V8 (the “Coyote” engine). AFAIK, they’ll introduce the new engine at the Detroit auto show in January, so we only have to wait a month or so to find out. For some more details, check out this post on our Mustangs site.
Can’t say that I’m particularly thrilled with any of them. The domestics, which would include Hyundai, VW, Subaru, etc due to their price point are the only cars in the bunch that I even look at because they’re the only ones I could even come close to being able to afford. Only a couple of them are even appealing to me.
The high end concepts are neat, but most won’t see production as-is in most cases. The ones that do aren’t cars I could even dream about owning, so they’re irrelevant to me.
Guess I’ll stick with my 66 Dodge Charger.
Thanks, Aaron.
While it’s true that a high-horsepower 5.0 V-8 would keep the GT on its present course as a true competitor in the retro-muscle car race with the Camaro, I can’t help but wonder whether this is really where Ford should take the new GT.
Ford has promised that in the future, each of its models will be a gas mileage champ (or close to it) among its class-competitors from other brands. Hence, the 40 mpg 2011 Fiesta.
So, wouldn’t a 360 hp, direct-injected, turbo V-6 in the Mustang GT go a long way toward keeping the GT relevant and on-line to keep Ford’s promise of best-in-class mpg?
Steve — A couple of weeks ago I went to a Fiesta/Mustang V6 preview, and we asked about this — after all, a fuel-efficient 4-cylinder EcoBoost would be a logical solution for the base-model Mustang. Ford says it’s important to keep the character of the Mustang intact, and the EcoBoost isn’t the right engine for that. I think we’ll continue to see normally-aspirated V8s (with that heaven-sent exhaust note) under the GT’s hood… for now, at least! — Aaron
Thanks again, Aaron. To borrow an old Army saying, it sure sounds like Ford may be planning to fight the last war, and not the next one.
But, maybe they know best. They have certainly sold a lot of Mustangs in the past, including the nine they have sold to me!
The bigger news from the LA Auto Show for me was not so much the grand reveals of lackluster cars to a skeptical media, but instead it was the general message of highly fuel efficient vehicles being released or concepts coming soon.
Take the Hyundai Sonata for instance, V6 performance from a 4 banger and still getting 35 MPG! Way to go Hyundai!
The technology used in all these strange concepts like the P-Nut, the PX-MiEV, the E-Tron, and so on; all show great signs that we don’t have to sacrifice performance and style for the sake of higher MPG. Take the PX-MiEV, for instance, using two separate electric motors with independent batteries toggling between FWD and AWD depending on road conditions is a brilliant idea.
While GM is putting all their eco-eggs in the Volt basket, only time will tell if that proves successful. But if it does fly high then I foresee an entire fleet of electric vehicles with on-board gas powered generators flooding the Auto Show of 2012.
With respect to Audi, I like the E-Tron a lot. I like the color… seriously I do. What is the point of crazy cool supercar without a crazy cool color? I agree the low rider wheels are totally misplaced, but it’s the technology under the hood that makes the whole thing inspiring. A fully electric supercar will start a downward trend of eventual fully electric base models. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an A3 within the next 5 years sporting an electric motor with the same performance as the current model.
So I may be reaching for some good among all the bad but hey, I’m an optimist at heart; which usually gets me into trouble at the poker table; but so far has served me well in life.
Does anyone know if Honda is showing the CR-Z or 2011 Civic?
For somebody needing a simple daily commuter car, the Fiesta looks like a winner…a hatchback will be on my short list. FINALLY, somebody’s making a small car that gets as many MPG as my old Saturn does (and that’s a sad commentary on how little fuel efficiency has mattered over the last 15 years).
Good point, Chris!
Aaron often reminds me that it takes 3-5 years to bring a car to market from design through production planning to eventual release. I find it very suspicious that the American auto industry was living high on the hog through 2007 with gas guzzlers galore like the Hummer and the Excursion. They complained about the CAFE hike and claimed it couldn’t be done period much less within the timeframe set by the Feds. Then suddenly only one year after the gas crisis everyone has a 30+ MPG car with more planning in the next few years? And we’re not talking just the small hatch commuters here either. Mini Vans, SUVs, crossovers, even full size pickups are increasing MPG dramatically.
It’s obvious to me that to achieve the best innovations people often need a swift kick in the pants!