As optimism begins to return to the auto industry and vehicle sales show signs of recovery, this annual event, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will host more than 30 significant World and North American debuts and feature more than 900 vehicles from sports cars and sedans to crossovers and minivans.
World premieres range from the all-new 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder roadster to the redesigned 2011 Toyota Sienna minivan. Small and more fuel-efficient vehicles being the flavor of the season are becoming increasingly popular and three such new vehicles making their North American debuts include the much anticipated Ford Fiesta, the Chevrolet Cruze and Mazda 2. Other premieres include the North American debut of the all-new Hyundai Tucson crossover and Kia’s first U.S. built vehicle, the Kia Sorento crossover.
The show also will feature more than 50 new green vehicles including hybrids, modern clean-diesel, electric, hydrogen fuel cell, natural gas and ethanol-powered vehicles.
Hybrids still represent the largest volume of ‘green’ vehicles including the much-anticipated Chevrolet Volt expected to be on sale in 2010 and the all-new Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid sedan. However, modern clean diesels like the Audi A3 TDI and Volkswagen Golf TDI are becoming increasingly popular. More than 10 new diesel models will be on display from several manufacturers.
Futuristic concept vehicles are more prevalent than in previous years and almost all showcase forward-looking green technology. Many concepts are focused on all-electric or partial-electric propulsion, including the Toyota Prius plug-in, Mitsubishi’s PX-MiEV plug-in SUV (Which was also showcased in the Tokyo Motor Show) and Audi’s all-electric e-Tron based on the sporty R8(Which was again showcased in the Geneva Motor Show).
Also, Volkswagen will debut its ultra-high-mileage L1 that claims 170 mpg and runs on a 2 cylinder, turbo-diesel hybrid motor.
With more than 20 luxury vehicles making their debut, this year’s LA Auto Show also has plenty of luxury and performance vehicles to show off. Highlights include Rolls-Royce’s all-new Ghost and the first supercar from Lexus, the Lexus LFA. A few other notable luxury vehicles at the show include the convertible Audi R8 Spyder, Mercedes-Benz’s SLS AMG featuring its classic gull-wing doors and Porsche’s first four-door sedan, the Panamera.
The LA Auto Show is also an excellent opportunity for consumers to see the newest automotive accessories and customizing trends. Everything from custom wheels, tires and performance products to the latest mobile audio and entertainment systems can be found in Kentia Hall.
Labels: Audi-E-TRON, Audi-R8-Spyder, Mercedes-Benz-SLS-AMG, Porsche-Panamera, The-Los-Angeles-Auto-Show
