No matter how different their tastes and beliefs are regarding mobility, most Californians are united by their love of automobiles, and their dealings with one another are correspondingly tolerant. This can also be seen at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show. Nowhere else do manufacturers make more volume and cash than on the US West Coast. So it's no wonder that the industry insists on organizing a car show again - Corona and chip crisis.
So put on your mask, test before entering, and head into the LA Convention Center, the location of the auto show. And who came? Not just the usual suspects. Sure, the American Big Three are all there: Ford, General Motors, and the US division of Stellantis should of course, not be missing.
And unlike at the IAA in Munich in September, the Asians will not be denied their appearance; after all, even Subaru sells more cars in America than Volkswagen and Audi combined, not to mention Toyota, Nissan, or Honda. And the Koreans are currently always at the forefront anyway.
Only the German manufacturers shine except for Porsche. However, numerous newcomers use the big stage for their debut: Fisker, Canoo, or Edison from the USA, for example, and above all Vinfast, with which a car manufacturer from Vietnam is entering the world market
There is, therefore, no shortage of innovations. While most manufacturers drive purely electrically, Chevrolet is showing the new Corvette in the Z06 sports version, which has been boosted to 492 kW / 670 hp. And with the affordable Z sports coupé, Nissan is once again focusing on classic driving pleasure. SUVs are getting bigger with each generation, and they don't even want to know anything about a hybrid drive.
Not so Ford, Jeep, and Land Rover: The Ford F-150, a huge pickup and the best-selling car in the USA for decades is powered by electricity. Jeep shows the new Grand Cherokee as a plug-in hybrid. And the Range Rover, the new edition of which is celebrating its public premiere in Los Angeles, is at least partially purely electric.
For Europeans, the LA Auto Show has numerous innovations in store that are worth a second look, especially at the all-electric and the new brands. According to the manufacturer, the two Vinfast SUVs, VFe35 and VFe36, developed on a new battery platform, will be coming to Germany at the end of next year. The same applies to the all-electric Fisker Ocean, which the former Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker wants to have built at Magna in Austria from the end of 2022.
The Hyundai Seven and the Kia EV9, the only two new studies at the fair, will compete for large SUVs with over 600 kilometers of electric range against cars like the Audi e-Tron or the BMW iX, the manufacturers have announced. And electric Asians such as the Nissan Araya and the essentially identical SUVs Toyota BZ4X and Subaru Solterra are firmly planned for the European fleets.
Nowhere else in Los Angeles can the coexistence of the old and new automotive world be better observed than at Porsche. Because the Swabians have virtually revealed two extremes for both camps: With the Porsche Taycan GTS, they are showing their first electric car with a range of more than 500 kilometers. And on the other hand, there is the Porsche 718 GT4 RS, the so far "sharpest" form of the Porsche Cayman, which with a high-revving six-cylinder without any supercharging, is comparatively anachronistic and therefore particularly attractive. Again, doing one thing without leaving the other works better in the tolerant Los Angeles than anywhere else in the world.
Porsche unveiled a new version of its electric sports vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Taycan GTS Sport Turismo, the third body type of Porsche's first all-electric model series, will also make its premiere at the LA Auto Show. The newcomer features the Taycan Cross Turismo's dynamic design and rearward-sloping roofline. The Taycan GTS is the model range's sporty all-rounder. The adjustable air suspension, including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), is tailored to the GTS for improved lateral dynamics. The optional rear-axle steering setup is also more sporty.
With the arrival of the Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo, the model family now has three body options. The new derivative is aimed at individuals who desire the same degree of everyday utility as the Taycan Cross Turismo but don't want to forgo the Taycan sports saloon's on-road performance. The Porsche Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo features the Taycan Cross Turismo's dynamic profile, rearward-sloping roofline, and functional design. In addition, the back headroom exceeds that of the Taycan sports saloon by more than 45 mm, and the cargo capacity beneath the huge tailgate exceeds 1,200 liters.
A panoramic roof with Sunshine Control is now offered as an optional extra for the Porsche Taycan GTS. In addition, the roof's appearance may be changed from clear to matt by using an electrically switchable liquid crystal layer. This shields the passengers from glare without darkening the room.
