Recession? What recession? By judging the optimism and positive sales numbers for most of the manufacturers, we’re living in the “good ol’ days’ right now. Fuel economy ratings were the talk of the town, but not to be left out were the latest in technology and alternative fuels. Below are just a few of the highlights from this year’s show.
Perhaps the most spectacular launch was for the 2014 Ford Fiesta - yes, I said Fiesta. Ford erected a grandstand just outside the doors of the LA Convention Center for the throngs of assembled media in front of an open concrete area. We knew something special would be up as there were doughnut skid marks clearly visible. Mark Fields (Ford’s EVP and President of the Americas) gave a brief presentation which led to a video highlight montage of Ken Block’s Gymkhana video from San Francisco. Next, Ken Block made a spectacular entrance roaring onto the concrete patch with tires ablaze in white putrid smoke as he proceeded to do doughnuts while two Fiestas made their way into the same area. Block pirouetted his Monster Energy drink rally cross car around the two stock Fiestas and then pulled to a stop in the middle and got out to quite an applause. After the smoke cleared you could see he was pretty proud of that stunt.
Audi’s news was that they are expanding their clean diesel (TDI) lineup from the A3 and Q7 into the A8, A7, A6, and Q5. Over a third of A3 owners in California choose the TDI and of the 22,000 TDI owners in the U.S., they’ve combined to save over 4.5 million gallons of gasoline because of the increased fuel efficiency. The takeaway from this was that these owners didn’t have to sacrifice performance due to the strong torque characteristic of diesel power. Audi has been wildly successful with their TDI race cars winning the 24 Hours of LeMans multiple times including this year with their diesel hybrid.
Honda had a couple of cars that really caught my eye - Dario Franchitti’s Indy 500 winning Dallara and also the EV-STER concept, although the press conference was focused more on the 2013 Civic and Accord plug-in hybrid. It’s a significant refresh on the Civic for what was an all-new vehicle last year with both exterior and interior styling refinements.
Acura showed off their NSX concept and also talked about AcuraLink which utilizes your smartphone as the base for the infotainment system. That way your technology in the car is never outdated since it’s based on your phone. Think of the car’s screen as more of a remote display. Additionally, they showed off their new RLX luxury sedan.
Nissan showed off a Rogue-sized Hybrid concept - the Hi-Cross, and also had their DeltaWing racecar on display. I saw a guy with a black DeltaWing crew shirt on so I asked him a few questions. As it turns out, ‘the guy’ was none other than Ben Bowlby- the designer of the DeltaWing. You could tell he was quite proud of the vehicle that provided proof of concept at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petite Le Mans this year. He was very grateful for what Nissan has given in support of the project.
Mini showed off yet another variation of their compact lineup with their new Paceman. This is a stretched two-door with AWD. They’ve been remarkably successful with variations of their Mini Cooper and were presented with the 2013 ALG best residual value award in the premium compact segment for their lineup. This is their tenth award in ten years since the brand’s arrival in the U.S.
Porsche drove out (literally) the new Cayman which is lighter, more powerful and more fuel efficient. Aerodynamic body tweaks aid the function of the sultry design. Also announced was their groundbreaking of the new Porsche United States headquarters in Atlanta. The 100 million dollar facility will house technical training in addition to office space. Furthermore, there will be a test track, driving experience center and handling circuit. Next year they will break ground on the Porsche Experience Center in Carson, CA.
John Krafcik, President and CEO Hyundai Motor America, started their press conference by addressing their fuel economy issues and put them in as positive a light as can be. As part of the reimbursement program, owners must bring their vehicle to a dealership for odometer verification. Of those who’ve participated, over 90 percent are satisfied with the program. Soon after addressing that situation; they went right into the high-energy music and debuted the Veloster C3 Roll Top concept. With a fabric sunroof and a tailgate in the rear, the versatility of the vehicle was amplified by putting a fixed-gear bicycle in the back. In fact, the exterior color scheme was inspired by the fixed-gear bike trend. The floorboards in the back were made of recycled skateboards. They also showed off their all-new 2013 Santa Fe with more space, technology, and less weight due in part to more high-strength steel.
They weren’t the only ones with a bike in their booth. Toyota teamed with Parlee bikes to design a Prius concept bike. Aerodynamic details were tweaked to maximize efficiency. Toyota also had their Space Shuttle towing Tundra on display. Of course Toyota’s big news was the launch of the fourth generation 2013 RAV4. Styling is revised both inside and out, but the biggest change is from a rear side opening door to a liftgate. The spare tire is now mounted underneath the vehicle. A 2.5 liter four cylinder engine is the only powerplant available and EPA highway mileage improves from 28 to 31 mpg.
Kia kicked off their press conference with an apology to the assembled press over the fuel mileage debacle that surfaced recently. After addressing this matter head-on they then went into their main focus which was the debut of the all-new 2014 Sorento. This will go on sale in the first quarter of 2013. I happened to be sitting next to one of the Kia dealers from SoCal who told me that the biggest problem he has as a dealer right now is getting inventory. They also had two cool concepts in conjunction with DC Comics’ Justice League. One car was a Batman special and the other was an Aquaman creation.
Jaguar unveiled their new Type F convertible to North America which is a stunning display of beauty and power. Short and compact yet elegant at the same time, this new Jag will surely turn heads when it drives down the street. Available in V6 or V8 models with a zero-to-sixty time of 4.2 seconds for the V8 will surely add to their highly acclaimed heritage. For those wanting four doors, the 550 hp 2014 XFR-S will be in short supply as only 100 of these will be coming stateside.
Aston Martin had the original 007 DB5 movie car on display with some additional James Bond props. For anyone who’s seen the latest film, Skyfall, the good news is that the DB5 they used in the movie was only a model.
BMW showed off their i8 hybrid concept. This seemed to resemble a less radical version of a hydrogen concept they showed off a few years ago. The backdrop message stated, “The future is closer than you think” and with this i8, it very well could hit the road. A 354 hp hybrid power plant will give this sports car of the future performance comparable to an M3 with fuel economy like a small city car. BMW also debuted their i3 city concept which is sort of a mini-SAV/sedan that is fully electric with a carbon fiber body. Both of these vehicles are slated to be produced, but as with any concept we’ll have to wait and see.
Mazda debuted the 2014 Mazda6 with SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter gasoline engine as well as a SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter diesel that will be available in January and the second half of 2013 respectively.
Mercedes wowed with the new 2014 SLS AMG Black Series – 622 horsepower and zero-to-sixty in 3.5 seconds. Extensive use of carbon fiber helped trim over 150 pounds of weight compared to the regular model. This will be on sale in limited volume at select dealers in the summer of 2013. They also showed off their Vision Ener-G-Force SUV - a civilian version of the 2025 CHP concept.
The Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year is the 2013 Ford Fusion. Multiple power plants including turbocharged, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid give consumers a myriad of choices in fuel efficient travel.
As usual, there was too much to see in too little time. For a more highlights, visit www.laautoshow.com where there’s a photo and video gallery of this year’s show.
Ken Block’s smoke signal ushers in the 2014 Ford Fiesta. 
Photo by Larry Mason
The Acura NSX concept looks fast standing still. 
Photo by Larry Mason
The Nissan DeltaWing has half the weight and half the horsepower, but all the speed of the conventional prototypes it races against. 
Photo by Larry Mason
The Kia Optima Batman version was first seen at the SEMA show this year. 
Photo by Larry Mason
The BMW i8 is not only a concept vehicle, but BMW plans to put it into production within a couple of years. 
Photo by Larry Mason
Beauty and power all in one package for the select few only. 
Photo by Larry Mason
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