Posts Tagged ‘LA Auto Show’
Maker continues gaining momentum after decades of trouble.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.04, 2012
No longer running on empty. VW is betting products like the new Beetle Convertible will help it continue gaining momentum.
Considering the strong performance by most automakers in November it might be easy to downplay the numbers from Volkswagen AG. After all, the maker reported a gain of “only” 29% for the month, less than half the increase of little Subaru.
It was, nonetheless, the best VW has done in nearly four decades – since November 1973, to be more precise – when the original Beetle was still the most successful import product in the U.S. market and names like Toyota, Nissan and Honda were barely on the radar for American car buyers.
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Things would change rapidly in the mid to late-1970s. Buoyed by the sudden surge in demand for high-mileage products in the wake of twin Mideast oil shocks, Japanese makers rapidly gained traction. VW tried to fight back with the little Rabbit but its early success was short-circuited by higher prices and lower quality, twin problems that nearly sank the German maker.
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Tags: Jonathan Browning, LA Auto Show, VW sales, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Beetle, auto news, car news, foreign car sales, import auto sales, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen sales, vw beetle convertible, vw news
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Searching the LA Auto Show for the newest 40 mpg offerings.
by Michael Rose on Dec.03, 2012
The new Honda Accord PHEV will get 115 MPGe, says the EPA, the highest mileage rating in the industry.
For years we’ve been hearing about the surprising vim and vigor of people who hit age milestones like 40 that once meant the downhill slide had begun. Now 40 is being touted as the new 30. Might this milestone hold true for cars, as well?
Is 40 miles per gallon the new 30?
Could this be the de facto standard for a new crop of vigorous, green machines that promise to cart our gracefully aging selves around while taking baby sips of fuel — or electrons?
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To get a sense, we kicked the tires and listened in on the news conferences and Q&A sessions during the two press preview days at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The second day started off with the Green Car of the Year award going to the promising new 2013 Ford Fusion that offers a hybrid version providing an average for city and highway driving of 47 mpg. Not bad.
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Tags: Dodge Aero, Ecoboost, Fiesta, Ford, Fusion, LA Auto Show, Prius, Spark EV, TDI, audi a3, auto news, car news, chevrolet, chrysler, direct injection, fisker karma, focus, general motors, green car of the year, michael rose, nissan leaf, thedetroit bureau, volt
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Judges swayed by mix of powertrain options.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.29, 2012
Ford plans to play up its Green Car award in spots coming soon to a TV near you.
Despite the popular media’s fixation on battery power, automotive insiders are quick to caution that there is no “silver bullet” solution, no single technology that will likely meet all the needs for tomorrow’s clean and efficient automobiles.
That message was hammered home by the choice of the 2013 Ford Fusion as the Green Car of the Year, an award designed to focus the spotlight on the latest clean-tech automobiles.
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A key to the decision was the fact that the new midsize sedan offers a broad range of powertrain alternatives, from conventional gasoline power up to an all-new plug-in hybrid.
“That’s an example of automotive democracy,” said Ron Cogan, publisher of Green Car Journal, the organizer of the annual award.
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Tags: 2013 ford fusion, Ecoboost, LA Auto Show, alternative power, ford fusion green car, fusion car of the year, green car journal, green car of the year, hybrid vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, prius c, thedetroitbureau
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Demand expected to surge – though Washington gridlock still poses a risk.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.28, 2012
Toyota's Jim Lentz sees good times ahead for the U.S. auto industry.
It’s been the little engine that could, driving along an economy long struggling to avert a double-dip recession. And now, amidst growing signs that the U.S. economy is clearly on the mend, industry leaders are increasingly confident the auto industry is heading in fast-forward towards some extremely good – though probably not record – years.
As manufacturers get set to report extremely strong numbers for October, Toyota’s top American executive, Jim Lentz said he expects to see 2012 end with sales of 14.3 million – about 1 million more than a year before and a roughly 40% increase from the depths of the recession.
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“And the forecast ahead looks even better,” Lentz said as he opened his keynote remarks at the opening of the annual LA Auto Show. “Analysts expect we will reach 16 million in just a few short years.”
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Tags: LA Auto Show, Mark Fields, U.S. auto sales, auto news, car news, car sales, car sales economy, economic recovery, jim lentz, november car sales, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, us economy
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From battery cars to luxury exotics.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.12, 2012
The 2013 VW Beetle Convertible will be one of nearly 50 new models debuting at this year's LA Auto Show.
With the “emergency refresh” of the Honda Civic leading the list, expect to see plenty of headlines emerge from the LA Auto Show later this month, organizers hinting that “nearly 50” new models will make their debut during the two-day press preview scheduled for November 28th and 29th. That list includes 24 world debuts and 25 more products making their first appearance in North America.
This year’s show also will see the introduction of the show’s new Advanced Technology Showcase which will offer a closer look at some of the technologies transforming today’s and tomorrow’s vehicles.
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As in past years, the LA show will see manufacturers put an emphasis on green technology – no surprise considering the tough zero-emissions mandates enacted by the California Air Resources Board, or CARB. Among the products scheduled for debut at the Los Angeles Convention Center are the Fiat 500e and Chevrolet Spark EV battery-electric vehicles, as well as two plug-ins from Ford, the C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi. Honda also has confirmed it will unveil the Accord plug-in hybrid at the LA Auto Show.
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Tags: 2012 LA auto show, LA Auto Show, advanced technology forum, auto news, auto shows, bmw la, car news, car shows, fiat la, mercedes la, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, vw la
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Making “economic lemons” into lemonade.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.26, 2012
An early Fiat 500E prototype.
Fiat/Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has made no secret of his disdain for electric vehicles, declaring them “economic lemons” during a discussion with reporters earlier this year and all but killing off the U.S. side of his company’s battery-car program.
So, why is Fiat ready to introduce a new electric version of its little 500 model at the upcoming L.A. Auto Show? Because it doesn’t really have a choice.
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Under increasingly stringent California requirements – copied by nearly a dozen other states – all major makers will either have to offer low-volume “zero-emissions” vehicles or pull out of a state that generates more sales than most countries.
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Tags: 2012 LA auto show, Fiat 500, LA Auto Show, auto news, battery-electric vehicles, economic lemons, electric vehicles, fiat 500 battery cars, fiat 500e, fiat news, green car news, la auto show fiat 500e, marchionne battery cars, nissan leaf, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, sergio marcionne, thedetroitbureau
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But European hot-hatch Fiesta ST likely heading to U.S.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Sep.06, 2012
There's been plenty of guessing about what the next-generation Mustang will look like, but Ford has confirmed the iconic pony car will soon be introduced into Europe.
Ford has big plans for its little pony car as it gets set to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
“Mustang, the American icon, is coming to Europe,” Ford CEO Alan Mulally announced during a major product preview in Amsterdam on Thursday.
The event was notably short on details about the Mustang’s migration to Europe. Indeed, Ford has been unexpectedly tight-lipped about its plans to celebrate the pony car’s golden anniversary, though it has confirmed a major remake of the Mustang is in the works and it is widely anticipated that its launch will coincide with the planned 2014 celebration.
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Traditionally, Mustang has been one of the most classically American models in the global Ford line-up – along with the maker’s full-size F-Series models. The muscle car is only offered in a handful of other markets, curiously including Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as parts of the Middle East.
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Tags: 2014 mustang 50th anniversary mustang, Alan Mulally, Ford Fiesta, LA Auto Show, auto news, car news, fiesta us, ford fiesta st, ford fiesta st la auto show, ford mustang, ford mustang europe, ford news, mustang europe, next mustang, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Maker claims no immediate plans for an electric wagon.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.28, 2011
The A3 eTron suggests Audi may have big plans for electric propulsion
Automakers typically spend a lot of time and money to promote their latest cars and concept vehicles – but occasionally one sits on the sidelines as sharp-eyed motorists might have discovered at the just-ended L.A. Motor Show.
While the German maker put the emphasis on its next-generation performance models, including the S6 sedan, Audi’s stand at the L.A. Convention Center also featured a battery-electric version of its compact Avant, or wagon, a showcar subtly decaled the A3 eTron.
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Volkswagen’s luxury subsidiary hasn’t tried to hide its interest in electric propulsion, and has confirmed it will launch production versions of the eTron battery cars it has shown, in concept form, on the auto show circuit in recent years – which raised the question of what it might have in mind for the A3 eTron.
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Tags: Audi e-tron, LA Auto Show, audi a3, audi a3 etron, audi battery car, audi la auto show, audi news, audi r8 e-tron, audi r8 etron, auto news, battery cars, car news, electric vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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by Marty Bernstein on Nov.18, 2011
Actress Paula Patton with the BMW i8 she drives in the next Misson Impossible film.
Here in the La-La-Land, the international entertainment industry’s base of extravagance, excellence and elegance one expects wonderful staging, great sets and settings, spectacular lighting effects, dramatic music, exciting video, persuasive writing and polished performers, er, presenters, for some truly dramatic unveilings of new automobiles. Right?
Sorry to disappoint you but this year’s L.A. Auto Show – at least from a staging and presentation standpoint — merits a one word review: lackluster. Naturally, the cars are supposed to be the stars of any show. But the Los Angeles location demands, within proper fiduciary bounds excitement, wow’s, ah-ha grabbers, and OMGs, not somber, sterile, soporific moments.
In giant clusters, hundreds of auto writers, photographers, videographers, analysts, competitive executives and assorted ‘how in the hell did they get credentialed?’ car groupies moved in giant scrums around the Los Angeles Convention Center in 25-minute increments over the last two days.
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All this to witness the 19 formal news conference on the official schedule before racing off to file their seemingly endless stream of articles, blogs, reviews, comments, YouTube postings, FaceBook meanderings, tacky twitters and other news. There is no way I was able to attend all the shows, nor did anyone I know, but in my unscientific survey of colleagues and in keeping with Tinseltown’s addiction to awards:
And the winners of Best of the Shows of LA Auto Show are:
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Tags: 2011 los angeles auto show, LA Auto Show, auto news, auto shows, blake griffin, blake griffin kia, car news, car shows, fiat 500 abarth, fiat news, kia news, marty bernstein, marty's marketing minutia, paula patton, thedetroitbureau
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Jurors see it as more practical, effective than battery power.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.17, 2011
Honda Chief Marketing Officer Mike Accavitti accepts the Green Car of the Year award for the Honda Civic Natural Gas.
Defying conventional wisdom that battery cars are the alternative of choice, the natural gas-powered version of the Honda Civic was named Green Car of the Year during a well-attended ceremony at the L.A. Auto Show.
The Civic was one of the five finalists for the award, sponsored by Green Car Journal. The others were the new Ford Focus Electric, the battery-powered 2012 Mitsubishi i, the 2012 Toyota Prius v, which is a larger version of the world’s best-selling hybrid, and the 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI diesel.
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Though other makers have expressed interest in the relatively clean-burning fuel, Honda has been the only consistent manufacturer of vehicles using natural gas.
“For Honda, ‘blue skies for our children isn’t just a slogan,’ it’s something we believe in,” declared Mike Accavitti, the maker’s North American marketing chief, who accepted the Green Car of the Year award.
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Tags: 2011 la auto show, Chevrolet Volt, Chevy Volt, LA Auto Show, alternate power, auto news, battery cars, car news, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, green car of the year, honda civic green car of the year, honda civic natural gas, honda news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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