{"id":31718,"date":"2023-11-17T16:13:58","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T20:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=31718"},"modified":"2023-11-17T16:13:58","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T20:13:58","slug":"payne-best-of-the-2023-la-auto-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/payne-best-of-the-2023-la-auto-show","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Best of the 2023 LA Auto Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Nowhere are the auto industry\u2019s various transformations more apparent than in California.<\/p>\n

Automakers are transitioning to electric vehicles under government pressure, autos are becoming smartphones on wheels, and car shows are shrinking in importance. The Golden State may be the United States’ biggest market, but brands have fled the Los Angeles Auto Show, just as they have Detroit, New York and Chicago. The LA Convention Center this year is empty of crowd pleasers like Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Land Rover, Jaguar and Audi \u2014 as well as the entire Stellantis stable due to the UAW strike. Big auto displays have been replaced by acres of EV test tracks.<\/p>\n

Where the LA Show was once packed with two days of automaker news conferences, this year there were just five. Still, shows have the ability to wow as Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson\u2019s impassioned, packed introduction of the Lucid Gravity showed.<\/p>\n

Here are the coolest vehicles of the 2024 LA Auto Show.<\/p>\n

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Lucid Gravity<\/h2>\n

Car of show. Lucid\u2019s much-anticipated SUV sequel to the stunning Air sedan (arguably the most beautiful vehicle in autodom) did not disappoint. CEO Rawlinson has a flair for the dramatic and he rolled out the electric ute proclaiming it an \u201cunprecedented combination of the impossible,\u201d slamming competitor EVs for their \u201cdumb range\u201d and sitting in the front trunk of his SUV \u201cjust for the frunk of it.\u201d With its efficient electric motors and battery, the Lucid defies gravity with 112 cubic feet of storage space (with rear seats flattened), glass console, seating for seven, 440-mile range, 800 horsepower, 3.6 second 0-60 mph shot, 6,000-pound towing, and a curved, 34-inch OLED screen. Starting price? Under $80k to grab that federal $7,500 EV tax credit.<\/p>\n

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Honda Prelude Concept<\/h2>\n

Surprise, the Prelude is back! Honda snuck its famous performance badge into the show as a fetching, two-door concept. A favorite of Honda enthusiasts, Prelude hasn\u2019t been seen on U.S. shores since 2001. Expect a quick coupe (filling a void where the Civic Si coupe use to be) built on the Civic platform powered by a hybrid powerplant.<\/p>\n

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Hyundai Santa Fe<\/h2>\n

Hyundai opened with news that it will be the first brand available to buy on\u00a0Amazon\u2019s new online auto store<\/a>\u00a0(one of the few products left that can\u2019t be bought there already). Then it made more news by making the Korean brand\u2019s staid, three-row family crossover a fashion plate. The Made-in-\u2018Bama SUV gets striking, bold, LEGO-block styling with the Hyundai \u201cH\u201d providing inspiration for lighting and interior dash details. Packed inside this shoebox are twin gloveboxes, twin wireless phone chargers, and a double-hinged center console accessible to rear passengers as well as those up front. An off-road-focused XRT model gets a chassis lift and 30-inch all-terrain tires.<\/p>\n

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Hyunda Ioniq 5 N<\/h2>\n

Hyundai\u2019s electric hot hatch. Like BMW\u2019s M division and Ford\u2019s ST, N means fun for Hyundai enthusiasts. The brand takes its electric Ioniq 5 hatchback and turns it into a fire-breathing track monster with supercar-like 641 horsepower (nearly double that of the regular Ioniq 5) from twin electric motors. Like its sibling, gas-fired Elantra N, the 5 N dons a black face mask and aggressive rear spoiler. Other goodies include massive, 15.8-inch brakes and “e-shift” that simulates the feel of an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission in a gas vehicle \u2014 complete with angry engine sounds.<\/p>\n

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Subaru Forester<\/h2>\n

Amidst the blizzard of expensive electric toys, Subaru introduced its latest, affordable, $29k compact SUV. A companion compact ute to the chunky, tennis-show-design-inspired Crosstrek, Forster is much more conservative with its upright grille and tidy lines. If \u00a0you want some spice in your white bread, opt for the Sport edition and its 19-inch gold wheels. Inside, Forester adopts the big, 11.6-inch touchscreen found on other \u2018Rus. All-wheel-drive, IIHS Top Safety Pick, best-in-class residuals come standard. A hybrid model will follow in a year.<\/p>\n

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Toyota Camry<\/h2>\n

Americas\u2019 best-selling sedan gets a new wardrobe, adopting the brand\u2019s signature hammerhead fascia (see the handsome Prius) and better driver visibility out of its expanded greenhouse. Under the skin, the Camry will now be available only as a hybrid to satisfy government nannies, while offering all-wheel-drive on all model trims to help with traction in Michigan winters.<\/p>\n

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Ford wheelchair<\/h2>\n

The Bronco of wheelchairs. In the middle of a Ford display packed with greyhounds like the Mustang GTD and blue-trimmed California Special sits a beast for the mobility impaired. Thanks to a portion of Bronco SUV sales going to the Bronco Wild Fund, 18 state parks around the country will harbor a wheelchair equipped with tank tracks so those with mobility issues can hit the trails in style. The wheelchairs are powered by twin 12-volt batteries, and the driver gets four cupholders. Participating parks near Michigan include Indiana\u2019s Potato Creek State Park, Buckhorn State Park in Wisconsin, and Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia.<\/p>\n

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Dodge Challenger ‘Bane’<\/h2>\n

A Ferrari 812 Competizione sits in the middle of popular comedian Kevin Hart\u2019s car collection at the LA Show. But the revelation is that the “Jumanji” star has a taste for modified, V8-powerd Detroit muscle and movie bad guys. So he has given his creations names like the 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner \u201cMichael Myers,\u201d and 1970 Dodge Charger \u201cHellraiser.\u201d My favorite is a sinister, black 1970 Dodge Challenger \u201cBane\u201d \u2014 named after Batman\u2019s nemesis \u2014 stuffed with a 7.0-liter, supercharged V-8 Hellephant Hemi making 1,000 horsepower.<\/p>\n