The Nissan 370Z is one of the anticipated production cars at the Los Angeles show.LOS ANGELES — Against a backdrop of tumult in the automobile industry, the Los Angeles auto show kicks off this week at the downtown convention center. Press previews begin early Wednesday morning with a keynote address by Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan and Renault. The show opens to the public on Friday, Nov. 21, and continues through Nov. 30.
Even as Detroit automakers, led by cash-short General Motors, are pleading their case in Washington for bailouts from the federal government, here they are again unveiling the latest in tire-smoking sports cars, weighty luxury liners and gas-guzzling S.U.V.’s and trucks. But yes, there will also be a number of alternative-fuel, hybrid and electric vehicles, intended to prove how deeply the industry cares about the environment and how it is starting to break its profligate reliance on fossil fuels.
The show marks the beginning of a stretch of four major American auto shows that will play in the coming months, with stops after Los Angeles in Detroit, Chicago and New York. By the time the circuit hits New York in April, it’s a good bet that the industry will have undergone historic changes: G.M. and Chrysler may resume discussions about a merger; federal money may be awarded with some form of government ownership of the Detroit Three; and heads may roll in Detroit’s boardrooms.
But the shows, as they say, must go on. So let’s rev up the fog machine for the rollout of the $200,000 Ferrari California! Shine the spotlight on the race-ready Lotus Evora!
At one point, this year’s show looked to be on shaky ground as an unusually small number of world premieres were scheduled, and then cancellations started coming even among those.
Volkswagen scrapped its planned introduction of a significant sports car concept. G.M. pulled the plug on the debut of the next-generation Buick LaCrosse, as well as the unveiling of a high-horsepower Cadillac CTS sport coupe. Then G.M. withdrew its invitation to a large contingent of Asian journalists for whom the automaker had planned to play host at the show. Later G.M. called off a press conference it had scheduled to unveil a new Saab. And finally, G.M. canceled an address by its vice chairman, Robert A. Lutz.
Despite those setbacks, however, show organizers denied that the event was wobbling, or shrinking.
“Automobile manufacturers have not reduced the space they occupy,” said Andy Fuzesi, a co-owner of the Los Angeles show, in response to a question about published reports of a 20 percent decline in the square footage for exhibits. “All manufacturers that participated last year are doing so again. We made a calculation that there is only a 5 percent reduction in space occupied at the show and all of it is in Kentia Hall. Kentia Hall is devoted to aftermarket and accessories products.”
Indeed, there are still significant production introductions scheduled for Los Angeles. Nissan is unveiling the next version of its hot Z sports car, the 370Z. Infiniti is showing a G37 convertible.
Though neither G.M. nor Chrysler is now planning any significant introductions, each still has a full display of its existing vehicles. Ford is hoping to make a splash with an enthusiastic party built around the debut of its revised 2010 Mustang, and it also plans to introduce updated Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan midsize sedans. Most notably, hybrid versions of each will also be shown; Ford says their fuel economy beats the Toyota Camry Hybrid, by a good five miles a gallon. The Lincoln brand will show an updated MKZ midsize sedan.
Ford Fusion Hybrid.Audi will have a refreshed A6 sedan and engineering upgrades for its Q5 and Q7 turbodiesel. VW is unveiling a Touareg S.U.V. with a turbodiesel engine.
Diesels also dominate the BMW offerings here, with a lively 335d leading the display. The 335d is one of the finalists for the prestigious Green Car of the Year Award given here annually; other finalists are the VW Jetta TDI, Fusion Hybrid, Smart Fortwo, and Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid.
Hyundai will introduce the first hybrid powertrain that is likely to be marketed by a Korean automaker. The system could reach consumers in the 2010 Sonata midsize sedan. Kia is showing a fuel-cell concept version of its big Borrego sport utility, but that is not as likely to make it into production.
Lexus is updating its best seller, the RX line of luxury crossovers, including a new hybrid version that is engineered to achieve better fuel economy. Lexus is also showing an IS with a retractable hardtop.
Finally, proving that green vehicles need not be bitter medicine, Mini is taking the wraps off an electric version of its popular three-door hatchback wagon. The Mini-E is aimed at urban dwellers vehicle and is said to have a 160-mile electric-only range. The gas-free Mini may not be offered for sale right away — at least not in the United States -– but the company is trying to find 500 electric-car pioneers in Los Angeles and New York City who might be willing to lease one for a year, to help Mini gather data about how well it works.
Mini E.So, if you’re keeping score: That’s 10 world premieres (13 counting hybrid versions) and two “concept” vehicles — the Borrego FCEV and the soon-to-be-produced, high-mileage Honda Insight hybrid. For now, the hot rods still outnumber the hybrids.
