Live updates: Test blog
The L.A. Auto Show won’t open to the public until Friday, but you can have a front-row seat right here as Times reporters blanket the Convention Center over the next two days – open to media only – and deliver instant updates on model debuts, analysis of the industry trends and the buzz from social media.
Highlights from the show:
Volkswagen teases hydrogen power
Volkswagen has joined the hydrogen fuel cell movement, with new technology developed entirely in-house and a promise to make its Golf the first vehicle ever to be offered in all available power trains — gas, diesel, electric and now hydrogen.
The “research” vehicle — more than a concept, but not quite a production vehicle yet — is a full-sized SportWagen, losing some interior space for the fuel tanks.-- Charles Fleming
Bubbles for those in the back
Cadillac challenges the Germans
Cadillac
Taking aim directly at German sport sedans, Cadillac launched the ATS-V at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday.
The 455-horsepower coupe and sedan are chasing BMW's M3 and M4 sedan/coupe duo, as well as Mercedes-AMG’s forthcoming C63 sedan, and Audi’s RS5 coupe.
The rear-wheel-drive ATS-V models are hopped up versions of the more common ATS. General Motors’ luxury division crams a 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine under the hood, the same engine found in the larger CTS V-Sport sedan. -- Jerome Campbell
Mazda: Loved by critics, ignored by buyers
Although the brand has had a modest sales increase this year, its U.S. sales growth over the last five years has lagged the industry's by a wide margin — 37% compared with 50%.
Mazda hopes another strong model, in the hottest segment of the auto market, will put the company on the road to bigger sales.
The five-passenger CX-3 shares architecture with the Mazda2 subcompact sedan and a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine with the larger Mazda3. It will compete in a burgeoning field of small crossovers that includes the Buick Encore and Honda's HR-V. The Honda is also set to debut at this week's L.A. Auto Show.-- Jerry Hirsch
'Ladies and gentlemen, this is the new face of Audi'
David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times
Audi granted a view of its future Tuesday night, high in the Hollywood Hills at a lavish debut for its all-new Prologue concept car. The sleek coupe is a look at the new design direction for all upcoming cars from the German brand.
“The car has to be timeless but also fashionable,” Marc Lichte, Audi’s design chief, said. “The car should work for six, seven, eight years. In that time, there are eight generations of iPhones.” -- David Undercoffler
For the 1%, a new way to tan
The British luxury brand unveiled the Grand Convertible on Tuesday night ahead of its appearance at the L.A. Auto Show.
This concept is essentially Bentley’s recent Mulsanne Speed sedan with its roof artfully sawed off. Bentley, owned by Volkswagen, is using the concept to gauge customer reaction; that reaction will determine whether the car becomes a traditional production vehicle or a one-off specialty car built in tiny volumes. — David Undercoffler
Bentley
The hackers could be eyeing your car next
The future of transportation is all about connections -- to the Internet, to other cars and more, experts at the L.A. Auto Show said Tuesday.
As automakers ramp up their defenses to hacking, they have to be looking at multiple fronts. There's the car itself, the devices a user brings into a car and online storage spaces where companies are storing data about drivers, their driving and their vehicle. — Paresh Dave
How cars will read your mind in the future
If you’re driving past a castle, for example, the passenger should be able to instantly pull up information about the landmark.
If a driver’s children are screaming the backseat, the car should know to switch the programming from loud music to trivia or a joke. An intuitive interface might pull in points of interest from the outside environment, turning it into a game to keep the kids occupied.
The car should also slowly learn the driver’s personality, anticipating whether she would look for the cheapest gas station or the closest one when it’s time to fill up. The vehicle would be able to take a grocery list and order it from Amazon or from Whole Foods. —Sarah Parvini
Stop what you're doing and think about all the scenarios
Automakers face a bleak future if they don’t make aggressive bets about the future of cars, according to Peter Schwartz, a renowned business strategy consultant.
In the worst-case scenario for traditional automakers, digital invaders like the Googles and Apples of Silicon Valley produce a fragmented market that slows adoption of connected cars and leaves consumers frustrated.
The best-case scenario has automakers matching the story of IBM, which has successfully adapted its culture to changes in the technology industry and remains a blue-chip stock. —Paresh Dave