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Payne: 2021 LA Best in Show features EVs, gas-powered muscle
Posted by Talbot Payne on November 19, 2021
Los Angeles — The City of Angels is a different place than I left after the last, 2019 LA Auto Show. Like a dystopian Hollywood film, fear of viruses and climate Apocalypse haunt the city. Unlike middle America, masks are still mandated, vaccines required for entry, automaker press conferences grim with warnings of an uninhabitable planet, and big exhibit halls empty of many major brands.
But there is still lots of eye candy here for auto lovers.
California is determined to drive an electric car revolution just as its tech giants transformed everything from phones to media. Gas engines will be banned here by 2035. Startup and legacy manufacturers have responded with a variety of innovative EV product to capture the public’s attention.
Customers still overwhelmingly prefer petrol power and there is plenty of everything to choose from. Here’s the show’s Top 10:
Chevrolet Corvette Z06. The show stopper. The first performance upgrade of GM’s mid-engine predator is as wicked looking as it is fast. Under its shark’s skin is the sportscar’s first overhead cam, V-8 engine. It’s the same mill that propelled the C8.R race car to two consecutive IMSA sportscar championships. Too bad Chevy can’t rev it to 8,600 RPM at the show.
Porsche Mission R. This track-focused e-missile follows the Mission E as Porsche’s second electric concept. Just as the Mission E previewed the production Taycan, so is the Mission R fueling rumors of an electric production Cayman sportscar. The winged Mission R imagines a Porsche race series (think similar 911 Club Sport series) with enough battery to make a 30-minute sprint race. The R has twin motors and 1,100 horsepower. Electrifying.
Hyundai Seven. Dude, far-out show concepts are back. The Seven previews a (likely) 2024, three-row, family EV with 300 miles of range, full glass rear, and a pixelated, front-end light show like a Cadillac Lyriq. Open the cabin doors and Seven offers a configurable, three-row furniture showcase complete with couch, fridge, and shoe drawers. Anticipating more pandemics to come, the interior offers an airliner-inspired Hygiene Airflow System to isolate air circulation between front and rear passengers. UVC lights sanitize the interior when you exit. Jeepers.
Dodge Challenger SRT Redeye Jailbreak. America’s favorite muscle car can be customized for just $995. Put down $80k for your Dodge Redeye, and pick from a cookie jar of Jailbreak goodies. Colors, stripes, seats. . . with Dodge throwing some new offerings like Hammerhead Grey upholstery, copper and bronze trim, and unique 20-by-11-inch wheels. Oh, and you get 10-horsepower boost to (gasp) 807 ponies.
Subaru Solterra. Subie’s eco-friendly buyers finally get an EV. Though with just 220 miles, its range may challenge adventure seekers. Otherwise, the Solterra delivers the outdoor brand’s signature AWD capability with front/rear electric motors and 8.3-inch ground clearance. The interior is the most modern ‘Ru yet with a waterfall-style console and hoodless, digital instrument display. Co-developed with Toyota, Solterra masked headlights appear inspired by Catwoman.
Subaru WRX. Not to be left out, Subie’s speed freak base finally gets a new-gen WRX hellion built on the brand’s modern Global Platform. The architecture should further enhance WRX’s AWD handling while delivering state-of-the-art electronics. You’ll know it by the boomerang headlights and macho fender cladding.
Fisker Ocean. EV-pioneer Henrik Fisker wowed with a low-slung, performance sedan last decade. For his next chapter, Fisker introduces a boxy, electric SUV. The Karma wowed outside, Ocean does its talking inside with a rotating, 17-inch screen that displays in portrait and landscape mode. Just like your smartphone. Check out the cargo doggie windows so your canine can sniff the air. Woof.
Kia EV-6. EV-6 joins cousin Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 EV in bucking the boxy EV trend (see Fisker nearby). EV-6 stand out with a low front end and hatchback stance. The interior is big screen, EV-chic with lots of digital derring-do.
Ford F-150 Lightning. Most pickup trucks show off their beds. The Lightning EV leads with its frunk. That big hole under the front hood where the engine used to be is wide open on the LA Show floor to show off its bottomless cargo capacity. Let the kiddies jump in for a photo op. Visitors will also marvel at the 4.5-second zero-60 mph time and the giant console inside.
Vinfast VF e35. It’s the Wild West for EVs and the young Vietnamese startup wants in. The compact e35 checks all the boxes with an SUV, Nvidia-chip powered self-drive system — even a single screen interior like a Tesla Model Y. Chinese companies like Byton, GAC, and Qiantu all whiffed on US delivery promises. If Vinfast can price itself $20k below the mighty Model Y, it might have a future here.
The LA Show is back. Keep an eye on it because it may be your electric future.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.