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The North American debut of the BMW i8 Spyder hybrid roadster concept, the world debut of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series, and another hotly-rumored world debut slated from Porsche as well as the North American debut of the 911 Carrera 4 are highly anticipated.
The debut lineup this year promises a compelling mix of the hottest trends and cutting-edge innovations driving today’s resurgent automotive industry. Debuts include world-firsts from Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, as well as European automakers such as BMW, Fiat, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen. Show-goers also will see global unveilings of new designs from Asian brands, including models from Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. The debuts also include the latest in-car technologies as well as highlight fuel-efficient, hybrid, electric and alternative fuel vehicles, demonstrating that green continues to be a dominant shade of innovation in the industry. Overall, there will be two dozen all-electric or plug-in electric models at the Show, at least a dozen clean-diesel vehicles and nearly 20 vehicles achieving 40-plus mpg with highly advanced four-cylinder gasoline engines. Coverage of these technology-laden vehicles promises to be extensive thanks to a total of 25 planned press conferences and media registered from over 50 countries. “The auto industry in North America is experiencing its best annual sales rate since 2008, and this positive growth can clearly be seen in the number of debuts, broad range of vehicles and transformative technologies on display at the show,” said Andy Fuzesi, general manager of the LA Auto Show. Underscoring the L.A. region’s status as the largest luxury and performance market in the country, of the 50 debuts slated, at least a dozen will come from these categories. Planned bows in this segment include the world debut of the 2013 Acura RLX luxury sedan, the North American debut of the BMW i8 Spyder hybrid roadster concept as well as an undisclosed world debut from the Bavarian marque. The Show will also play host to the highly anticipated North American debut of the Jaguar F-TYPE convertible sportscar as well as a yet-to-be-disclosed world debut from Jaguar. Mercedes-Benz will have a total of four debuts including the world debut of the SLS AMG Black Series and one yet-to-be-named world debut. Ultra-luxury nameplate Bentley will be showing a North American debut and rounding out the category, a hotly-rumored world debut is slated from Porsche as well as the North American debut of the 911 Carrera 4. The upcoming year looks to be a banner year for vehicle efficiency. According to AutoTrader.com, total shopper interest for alternative fuel and highly fuel-efficient models is up 54 percent so far in 2012. This year’s LA Auto Show reflects this trend and will host significant debuts across all green categories. This year’s Show will feature the debut of Fiat’s first electric vehicle, the 500e as well as the first all-electric vehicle for General Motors with the Chevrolet Spark EV, also making its world debut. Ford is moving strongly into the category as well with multiple new releases including the 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, the Fusion Energi plug-in, the Focus Electric and an undisclosed world debut. Honda will also debut its new Accord plug-in hybrid. Other show debuts represent virtually every popular segment on the road today, and include compact performance unveilings such as the world debut of the North American version of the 5-passenger Fiat 500L. Mini USA will also compete in this segment with the North American debut of the Paceman and the Clubvan. Another big statement will come from Volkswagen, which will have the 2013 Beetle Convertible on hand for its world debut. Asian automakers have also chosen LA as the ideal venue for multiple unveilings. Hyundai will debut a longer, seven passenger version of its Santa Fe crossover along with an as yet undisclosed world debut, while Honda also has a mystery world debut planned. More unrevealed world debuts are planned by Nissan, Toyota and Subaru. The Mazda6 mid-sized sports sedan will have its North American debut at the Show while Kia will present the Forte sedan for its world debut. The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander will also be making its North American debut with enhanced fuel-efficiency and advanced safety technologies including a lane departure warning system. In addition to the notable debuts this year, there will be a Press-Days only showcase highlighting the transformative technologies increasingly embedded in these vehicles. Dubbed the Advanced Technology Showcase and presented by the Auto Alliance, an industry trade group, the focus is on the expanding list of applications and solutions now being designed into vehicles that make drivers safer while more connected. An Auto Alliance poll shows that about 6 out of 10 consumers are interested in getting driver assist technology when they purchase their next vehicle. These systems are increasingly as important to car buyers as conventional metrics such as horsepower and miles per gallon.
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