Los Angeles has long been thought of as the center of the automotive universe, at least as far as trends originate. It is here that more often than not a fad or trend will begin, but it is the rest of the country, dare I say the world that decides to grasp that trend and carry it forward. Many of those original ideas go far, becoming a part of our culture here and abroad. But then there are those that stumble and never quite make it beyond the border of California.
Each year the automotive world collects at the Los Angeles Auto Show to see what designs, concepts and even full production vehicles will garner major attention. This year it seemed to be a mixture of green machines, horsepower and practical versions, in a broad scope of vehicles grabing show goers fancy.
Horsepower came in American muscle and Asian fliers. The Chevrolet Camaro SL1 convertible gives us a whopping 550 horses from a 6.2-lter supercharge V-8 under the hood, and beautifully styled muscle car that have a great many older enthusiasts reminiscing about its roots. While an equally large number of young driving enthusiasts aspire to become a part of that experience and heritage.
On the eco side of the equation comes the Chevrolet Spark, a city car with a 1.2-liter 85 horsepower, 4-cylinder that will come in Easter egg-like colors and promises great fuel mileage.
Over at the Subaru tent another form of horsepower was unveiled in the BRZ Concept STI, a sleek and powerful iteration of a Subaru. The success of the WRX has more than its share of auto enthusiast hearts beating faster.Under the WRX Blue Pearl paint sits a new 2.0-liter boxer engine. Though no output figures were released, I am sure it will be as impressive as the car’s design.
Cadillac presented the world with a preview of the sleek new XTS sedan complete with advanced interactive features from their CUE system for infotainment.
Nissan returned to LA with a display highlighting its NV commercial trucks serving up gourmet grilled cheese sandwich treats. Once the word circled the convention center, the Nissan display was the hot destination.
Volvo brought Concept YOU across the Pacific to show us a tribute to the Volvo 544, the car that established Volvo cars in the US as reliable and safe. The sleek front end design features a modern take on the 544’s bulbous hood and fat front fenders. They also opened the doors to the super secret
Volvo design center located near LA to show us an exclusive look at the upcoming XC90.
Fiat revisits its performance heritage bringing a sporty Abarth edition to the streets with 160 horsepower and handling characteristics to rival the best. Some in the crowd had a difficult time relating to the Fiat 500, originally equipped with a 101 horsepower eco-engine, producing 160 hp. I can’t wait to get my hands on that Abarth.In the words of Fiat chief, Olivier Francois "This is a car that arouses without a need for prescription."
More horsepower and performance came from Porsche as they introduced the 2012 911 the car that takes German performance to the next level. Along with stretching the limits of the 911 platform. They also promised more surprises from Stuttgart.
A relatively new venue at the LA Auto Show is the test drive tracks set up by manufacturers mainly to show off their green entries, be it alternative fuels or pure electric powered vehicles. It is a great way for them to get potential customers behind the wheel without the high pressure a buyer might feel with a salesman at the dealership. No selling here, just a good introduction to alternative vehicles.
One of the highlights for me in my venture to Los Angeles each year, beyond all the new vehicles is my annual visit to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. Where I not only get great fried chicken, I get to experience the uncontrolled enthusiasm of “Catfish” the parking lot attendant. Not sure of his real name, as Catfish is all I get when I ask, but this gentleman works wonders in public relations as he maneuvers drivers into the next vacant parking spot.
The fried chicken is, without a doubt ,some of the best I have ever tasted. And everyone in the place, and I mean everyone, wait staff, bus staff, cooks and all the customers, are some of the friendliest folks. If ever in LA, Roscoe’s is the place not to be missed.
OK, so Roscoe’s fried chicken isn’t about cars, but in way it is because you will see Catfish waving to everything from clapped out 20 year old sedans to brand new Ferraris. After all this is Southern California, possibly the car capitol of the USA and that is part of the reason we see nearly all the vehicle manufacturers showing off their newest and brightest offerings here each year.
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