I have been attending the LA Auto Show since 2014. The first time I went it was just as a consumer. The last 2 years I was one of the Drivers for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class demonstration called the “Iron Schoeckl”. This year was slightly different. I had a Media pass so I was able to go on the day when they debut all the new vehicles. I decided to go just to take pictures and then put them together and throw them up online. I specifically wanted to try to shoot a bunch of 50mm fixed focal length pictures, which I would soon realize, is very difficult at an auto show. The main reason I wanted to check it out was because I really wanted to see the new 992 generation 911 in person for the first time.
I would say that there wasn’t really too much else to see. The new 911 definitely took the award for most people crammed into a small space to look at a car. It just seemed like this year, manufacturers weren’t really debuting anything that the industry wasn’t already expecting.
I did take a bunch of pictures though. Pretty much my personal highlights from the show. Enjoy.
One of my favorite things about Porsche, is their commitment to all the cars they’ve ever made. Before the debut of the new 911, they had this older model from the Porsche Museum on display. I’m thinking the reason for the California surfer theme is because we are in LA.
The new 911 has a longer wheelbase and wider track than the outgoing generation. But it still manages to keep that small car presence no matter how old it gets. Obviously it dwarfs some of the older generations, but I don’t think it’s gotten too big yet. They had this blue one and a yellow one on display. I don’t like yellow, so all my the pictures I took are of the blue one.
The 911 GT2RS Clubsport. Because just in case you needed a full on race version of your GT2RS, Porsche is now going to offer this track weapon for you to spend your money on. I just love staring at these things. So many little details to notice.
One of my stand outs is the new Genesis G70. Built on the Kia Stinger platform it’s what I would consider a more grown up and sophisticated version of that car. The interior is upgraded and it loses the hatchback configuration making it a 4-door sedan. It has the two same engine options as the Stinger. The 3.3 Twin-Turbo V6 and also the 2.0 Turbo 4-cylinder. But here’s the awesome part. With the 4-cylinder you can get a manual transmission. I have driven the Stinger a lot and I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the G70, especially with that manual.
The Jeep Gladiator. A Wrangler that’s a truck. Yes please. Obviously this one is heavily modified, the one you will be able to buy will be a bit more normal looking.
The new Mazda 3. The front is very much in-line with the design language of the other Mazdas. But the rear is of the car is very attractive and where it looks quite different than everything else currently in the Mazda line-up. I dig it.
So there’s this new EV company Rivian. They debuted an SUV and truck. They are quite good looking, but I refuse to get my hopes up for some of these start-up EV companies. We’ve been burned too many times before. I hope they get it right though.
Because hatchback race car.
I really like the new Ranger. I don’t know if Ford is really doing that good of a job promoting it though and I’m really hoping we get the Ranger Raptor here in the US. As full-size trucks get bigger and bigger it’s nice to see some smaller trucks on offer again.
There’s a new GT500 coming. 1.14.19
This AMG GT 4 Door Coupe has some throwback E55 AMG wheels on it and that’s ok with me.
The Bonneville Jetta. Volkswagen gets a lot of street cred for this one.