(Los Angeles) Far from the exoticism of Tokyo, the gigantism of Paris and the avant-garde of Munich, the Los Angeles Auto Show did not welcome any revolutionary models this year. However, it offered some nice style exercises and some expected new features.
At the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opened on November 17, the unveilings followed one another without respite and without much originality in the usual format. Well almost. Some brands have chosen not to highlight them. It was already better than those others who preferred to exclude themselves from this event to follow a pace that suited them more. Or is it simply to hide the lack of new stuff? Electric, especially.
This show, which for a long time was the launching pad for alternative energies in the United States, has somewhat failed in its reputation. For this American high mass, the national manufacturers were not present, with the exception of the very elitist brand Lucid which lifted the veil on its first SUV, the Gravity. For the so-called traditionalist brands (Stellantis, GM and Ford), it must be said that the negotiations with the United Auto Workers (UAW) automobile union were not easy. Moreover, the Stellantis group cited this reason for withdrawing from the list of exhibitors.
For its part, Ford furnished as best it could the (too) large space it occupied with an interior circuit (an idea taken from Jeep) to highlight the off-road capabilities of an existing model, the Bronco. Meanwhile, the Mustang GTD, the only mechanical star of this booth, was spinning like an old worn record in the center of the North Hall of the Convention Center where the event is taking place.
Cadillac? The prestigious brand of General Motors, the same one that aspires to become an engine supplier in Formula 1 in 2028, was parked alone, without any frills, in the entrance hall. While its rivals, although few in number, were bathed in the spotlight, their tires comfortably placed on a soft carpet.
The place was up for grabs, and it was the “foreign” brands that put on the show. The world number 1, Toyota, fired the first salvo outside the Show by revealing the ninth generation of the Camry sedan – this will now use only a hybrid engine – and the Crown Signia. The latter will take over from the unfortunate Venza which was never able to find its audience. Toyota’s “electrifying” offensive at the Tokyo Motor Show a few weeks ago did not resonate on this side of the Pacific.
While Toyota is sprinkling its hybrid technology on a growing number of its models (there will soon be 19 using it), Subaru also intends to do the same. The sixth generation of the Forester presented in the City of Angels appeared more like an evolution of the previous version. Its designers revisited several elements (seats, infotainment screen, electric tailgate) and softened the angles of the body. But the real novelty is that this utility promises to slip, by spring 2025, a hybrid mechanism under its hood.
Honda and its luxury subsidiary Acura have unceremoniously revealed their first two electric vehicles (Prologue and ZDX). Same silence on the part of Volkswagen – the only brand representing the entire German group – which invited, in the shadow of a pair of ID.Buzz, its future ID.7 sedan to pose for the first time in America . This future model (its marketing should begin in the third quarter of 2024) is openly targeting the Tesla Model 3, the BMW i4 and the Ioniq 6.
The South Korean trio Hyundai, Kia and Genesis were the main hosts of this annual exhibition. The Ioniq 5 N – a high-performance version – and the Santa Fe made their first public appearance before heading to dealerships, where they are expected in the spring. As for Genesis, visitors were able to discover a “coupe” version of its GV80 utility vehicle, which has been partially aesthetically retouched. Finally, Kia was the only manufacturer to present two styling studies (EV3 and EV4). Both were created under the direction of Montreal stylist Karim Habib and are likely to see the light of day as a replacement for the current Soul and K5. The future will tell.
