LA Auto Show preview: EVs, startups, mandates and off-road Porsches

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 16, 2022

Los Angeles — In an age of diminished auto shows, this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show may be the most prominent. And not just because of the city’s perfect, 70-degree November weather.

Automotive media once flocked to Detroit every January as automakers debuted the first vehicles of a new model year. But as the industry shifts to electric vehicle production, this year’s November 18-27 Los Angeles Auto Show — opening with media previews Thursday — is the place to be as the wealthy California market boasts the nation’s biggest EV share, most EV startups and toughest EV mandates as governments force a transition to battery power.

Show reveals here will be a shadow of years’ past as automakers prefer exclusive settings to maximize social media engagement. But media week will boast nine new car reveals – about double that of September’s Detroit Auto Show.

“With the shift towards electrification by 2025 and 2030, the amount of debuts that will have to come out to meet these mandates is really exciting,” said LA show marketing chief David Fortin in an interview. “California legislation (is) leading the nation toward a greener future. Add to that the largest car market in the U.S. — you have to add up Texas and Florida to equal California.”

Subaru will reveal a new version of its compact Impreza at the LA Auto Show.

On Thursday, the wraps will come off new vehicles including the Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV, Fiat 500e, EV Genesis GV70 EV, Subaru Impreza and new models from Kia and VinFast. They will be joined on the show floor by a new Toyota Prius hybrid, a Volkswagen to-be-named and the Porsche 911 Dakar — each revealed off-site on Wednesday.

Despite the focus on electrics, the gas-fueled Porsche 911 Dakar will create buzz just as the 2024 Ford Mustang stole the show in Detroit this year.

With a nod to North America’s thirst for off-road vehicles — think Ford Bronco, GMC Hummer and all things Jeep — the 911 Dakar is an off-road-focused model of Porsche’s iconic supercar. Tested extensively in the remote sands of Dubai and Morocco, the all-wheel-drive 911 carries a name in homage to Stuttgart’s rally racing team that won the Paris-to-Dakar Rally in 1984 and 1986.

To be sure, brands will be missing in Los Angeles, just as they have been at the Chicago, New York and Detroit shows earlier in the year. Audi, BMW and Mercedes are absent, as is Acura.

2022 Los Angeles Auto Show: the Mustang Mach-E will be available to ride.

In their place will be startups like Vietnam’s VinFast, hydrogen sportscar-maker Hyperion, Polestar, Canada’s ElectraMeccanica and England’s Charge Cars — automakers determined to make their mark in a market that has accounted for 42% of EV sales in the U.S. over the past 10 years.

“If you think about Silicon Valley and California making mobile devices that have been so transformative to our lives . . . it’s natural that a lot of that technology would align with startup manufacturers,” said Fortin. “We see so many innovative and forward-looking companies coming out of California.”

In an indication of the waning influence of auto shows, however, most West Coast startups will avoid the show in their backyard.

The bulk of the Golden State’s EV sales have been made by California-founded Tesla, which will shun the show. So will Lucid and Rivian, two other Cali-based EV startups that have rocked the EV world. Even LA startup Fisker won’t exhibit here, just a year after it was the talk of the show with its new Ocean SUV EV.

2022 Los Angeles Auto Show: California has bought 42% of EVs sold in US in last 10 years.

As these premium brands attest, California is a prize market for luxury manufacturers. Lux chariots make up 25.2% of new car sales in California, according to an ISeeCars study — second only to New Jersey with 27.9% (the national average is 17.7%).

With their high cost and range limitations, EVs tend to be marketed at high-income, multi-car households in places like Tinseltown. The average transaction price of an EV nationwide in October was a pricey $58,362 (well above the average vehicle price of $46,991), according to Edmunds, up 6.8% from $54,669 a year ago.

Dovetailing with upscale taste, California EV sales rose to a market share of 15.8% in the first nine months of 2022 from 9.5% in 2021. That compares to just 4.9% nationally (2.4% in 2021).

Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at auto information website Edmunds.com Inc. , said last week’s election results further illustrate the Golden State’s importance in the EV transition.

“LA Auto Show might not be jam-packed with headline-stealing new vehicle unveils this year, but the show’s electrified focus has arguably grown in relevance for SoCal consumers given that Governor (Gavin) Newsom’s win last Tuesday will likely keep California’s (2035 ban on new gas cars) alive for now,” she said.

The Volkswagen ID.4 will be among the electric vehicles visitors to the LA show can ride in on an outdoor track.

The LA Convention Center will be littered with opportunities for customers to experience new EVs when the gates open to the public Friday.

Ford, Hyundai and Nissan will have indoor tracks at their displays showing off, respectively, the battery-powered F-150 Lightning, Ioniq 5, and Ariya. There will be an EV track outside so customers can jump into vehicles from multiple brands, including Chevrolet, Genesis, Kia, Volkswagen, Porsche and Vietnam’s VinFast.

The latter points to another LA advantage: Asian startups.

“The Pacific Rim is another one of our pillars as to why LA Auto Show is a good global platform to come to,” said Fortin.

Ford is bringing its Bronco Built Wild ride to the LA Auto Show.

As the 911 Dakar, Impreza and Prius reveals attest, there is still plenty of interest in internal combustion engines, and LA will have activations for customers to get into them. Inside, Detroit brands will offer rides at Camp Jeep, Ford Bronco Built Wild and RAM Truck Territory — just as at the NAIAS.

Outside, showgoers can get behind the wheel of vehicles from Subaru, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram, Toyota and VW.

The Detroit show moved to September this year to introduce LA-like outdoor activations. That’s not the only thing the two cities have in common. Their auto shows are integral to the rebirth of downtowns that have seen hard times.

“Every week there’s a new restraurant opening and new crane in the sky in LA,” said Fortin. “We highlight that for our out-of-town visitors.”

Tinseltown and Motown are also share a passion for autos.

“Car culture in SoCal is beloved, so we have partnerships with Bridgestone to produce a cars-and-coffee event on the first weekend. Then we’ve partnered with Formula Drift the second weekend to do drift demos with professional drivers,” said Fortin. The Galpin Hall of Customs inside the convention feature will display hot rods and other exotics.

The LA Show celebrates its 115th anniversary this year. The first show in 1907 was held in a skating rink with 99 cars. Two of them were electric.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

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