LOS ANGELES — More than 1,000 vehicles including 65 world and North American debuts are on display at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. Many of them are electric vehicles and SUVs. The auto show wraps up Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The 2021 Ford Mach-E is one of the standouts at the LA Auto Show. It’s an electric vehicle based on the Mustang sports car that was designed to compete with Tesla. There are four trims from the entry level called the First Edition with a 270 mile range to the premium top of the line model with 300 miles of gas free driving.
The 2021 Kia Seltos is a brand new small SUV being added to the automakers lineup. It comes with a 2-liter, 4-cylinder engine producing 146 hp. One cool feature is the six-color mood lighting on the interior. Pricing will start under $22,000 for the Seltos.
The all-new Hyundai Ioniq electric has improved driving range by 37 percent from 124 miles to 170 miles. The Korean automaker says it can be recharged up to 80 percent in less than an hour with DC fast charging.
Another big debut is this 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime. The fifth generation SUV comes with an electric range of 39 miles per charge before the gas engine takes over. It is expected to go from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds. Look for the RAV4 Prime to arrive next summer.
Mercedes-Benz showed off the Vision Simplex concept car. It’s a throwback to a 1901 race car. The concept features a high tech look with a blue seat in the cockpit. My first reaction was just wow!
Chevrolet showed off its 2020 mid-engine Corvette for the first time at an auto show. It comes equipped with a 6.2L Small Block LT2 V8 engine that produces 495 horsepower. The new model was first unveiled at a media event in Hawthorne, Calif. last month. It drew big crowds at the auto show after it won the MotorTrend Car of the Year trophy.
California-based Karma Automotive showed off their SC2 concept. It proves that electric cars can go fast by producing an impressive 1,100 horsepower. Karma also showed off the all new Revero GTS. That electric car features up to 360 miles of gas-free driving with a cost of $149,950.
“It’s actually pretty awesome so far,” said attendee Brian Svidergol from Irvine, Calif. “This is my second time coming. The Supra is really nice and the Corvette. The styling on the Supra is very aggressive and looks really nice. We are in the market in about two to three months. Tesla is on the list. We love electrics.”
Dozens of celebrities and sports figures visited the LA Auto Show to meet their fans. Those included LA Kings hockey player Dustin Brown, race car driver Antron Brown, DJ Lee Dyson, the Laker Girls dance team and Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez. She will be the grand marshal of the 2020 Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day.
There were several movie cars at this years auto show with hollywood being just a few miles from the convention center. A van featured in the upcoming Disney film “Onward” is parked in the west atrium. I also spotted an Alfa Romeo car that will be seen in an upcoming Netflix film called “6 Underground.”
“I come almost every year,” said attendee Holden Hungerford from Downey, Calif. “There’s more like high tech cars and more electric cars. I like the Ford Mustang, the V8 one. I like the Hyundai road course cars.”
Attendees can step inside a Land Rover and make their own “Carpool Karaoke” video with their friends or family. It was inspired by the popular segment on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” on CBS. The interactive experience was free of charge and was located inside the South Hall atrium.
Many of the automakers offered free test drives on the streets of LA. More than 50 vehicles participated from the likes of Ford, FiatChrysler, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen among many others. Tesla has the longest lines for its electric vehicles; it was their first time offering test drives at the show.
“We came down especially for this and went to the hockey game was well,” said attendee Kevin Chomiak from Lynden, Wa. “It was a huge bonus. Unfortunately, the Kings lost. We started the car show in the morning, went to the hockey game and now we’re coming back. I think it’s huge and they’ve got really good displays and is very impressive. They have the Corvette here.”
The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards committee announced its finalists at the show once again. The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Supra are the finalists for the 2020 Car of the Year. Meanwhile, the Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride and Lincoln Aviator are competing for Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Ford Ranger, Jeep Gladiator and Ram Heavy Duty round out the finalists for Truck of the Year. The winners will be presented at 8 a.m. on Jan. 13, 2020 at the TCF Center in Detroit.
Subaru hosted pet adoptions and it’s display during the entire run of the auto show. Los Angeles Animal Services and German Shepherd Rescue Orange County were some of the organizations featured. Attendees also had the opportunity to pick up free personalized dog tags.
The 2019 LA Auto Show continues today and ends its nine-day public show on Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit www.LAautoshow.com.
