L.a. Car show under the sign of the drive turnaround

U.S. auto shows flopped in second corona year. At the end of the year, the los angeles auto show does it much better. Almost everything here is electric.

Porsche once again flexes its muscles on the pacific coast at the end of the automotive year. While other european automakers have long since turned a cold shoulder to the former image fair in the californian autumn, things look completely different at the zuffenhausen company. At its favorite motor show, Porsche not only presents the taycan GTS, another variant of its successful new electric series, but also demonstrates with the 500-hp, 315 km/h 718 cayman GT4 RS what old-school engine developers are capable of when they don’t have to worry about CO2 fleet limits.

Most other carmakers from europe are leaving california behind this year. Besides porsche, only landrover is present here. This leaves a lot of room, for example, for the hyundai group, which with its two volume brands hyundai and kia is represented on the L.A.-at the trade show more confidently than ever before. A real showpiece is the hyundai seven, a luxury crossover worth seeing that shows where the Koreans are headed in the next few years – the premium segment.

L.A. Car show under the sign of the drive turnaround

Hyundai SEVEN
in years to come, the luxurious 5.30-meter-long SUV will be the crowning glory of the ioniq family, initially with a range of more than 600 kilometers, and later perhaps even more than 1,000 kilometers, to whet the appetite for long journeys in an electric car. Photo: hyundai

"the seven demonstrates our creative vision and progressive technical development for the future of electrified mobility," says jose munoz, CEO of hyundai motor north america. "its innovative interior, environmentally friendly powertrain, and outstanding safety and comfort features show how great the future will be for hyundai’s SUV customers."

Hyundai SEVEN with 350 kw-charger

The crossover, which is well over five meters long, is based on hyundai’s own electric-global modular platform, a special BEV architecture, and, like the smaller ioniq 5, attracts attention with a homely interior and striking LED lighting units. The 350-kw charger allows the luxury SUV to recharge its battery pack from 10 to 80 percent in 20 minutes – up to a maximum range of nearly 500 kilometers.

KIA EV9
the concept car has no B-pillar, which makes it easier to access the interior, but makes it more difficult to protect the occupants. The interior of the all-electric panel van can be configured variably with swiveling seats. Photo: kia

The kia EV9 looks a touch too similar. The EV9 is a twin model of the hyundai seven, and so one might wonder why a group is showing the supposed sister vehicle at the same trade show just a few hundred meters away. The kia EV9 looks even more pleasing than the look of the ioniq 7 and is much closer to reality at the same time.

Vinfast also in europe from the end of 2022

chief designer karim habib: "we have made our intentions clear – to become a world leader in sustainable mobility solutions – and today we are proud to show the world our electric suV study. It combines an advanced zero-emission powertrain with a cutting-edge exterior design and a contemporary interior based on innovative technology."

L.A. Car show under the sign of the drive turnaround

vinfast e35
in vietnam, deliveries of the all-electric SUV are scheduled to begin this year. Export to europe starts at the end of 2022. The e35 is intended to compete with the BMW ix3, among others, with a 90-kwh battery and a range of 500 kilometers.

Other asians also play in L.A. Big on. Above all, the vietnamese manufacturer vinfast with the new german CEO michael lohscheller. Not only does he present the two new electric SUV models VF e36 and VF e35 at the auto show, he also announces the founding of the U.S. headquarters in los angeles at the same time. "our future is electric and with the two new SUVs we will also come to germany in the fourth quarter of 2022," confirms the former opel CEO.

Fisker ocean – a seemingly endless story

Already a big number in the USA is subaru. And so it’s no surprise that the all-wheel-drive Japanese booth is by far the largest at the american performance show. On display for the first time: the subaru solterra, the twin model of the electric toyota bz4x, which can also be admired for the first time in the metropolis of millions on the pacific coast. Nissan shines in downtown los angeles with the ariya electric crossover – the sister model of the new renault megane E-TECH is eagerly awaited by many in europe.

Fisker ocean
the crossover is scheduled to go into production at magna steyr in graz in november of next year. Photo: grundhoff

Fans of the fisker ocean will also need a lot of patience. Once again, henrik fisker showed in L.A. The production version of its electric SUV. At least it is now certain that production of the 4.64-meter-long crossover will start at magnasteyr in graz in november of next year. It has a power output of 400 kW, an electric range of around 480 kilometers and a starting price of around 42 euros.000 euro.

Ford F-150 lightning: a real gamechanger?

the electric ford F-150 lightning looks better than that. It could also become a real game changer in the USA with its bidirectional charging capability. With more than 150.000 preorders, the best-selling U.S. car of the past four decades is fuelling hopes that the great powertrain revolution will now also take off outside california. Production of the electric pick-up already started in dearborne in september – sales will begin next spring. As a base price are 40.000 dollars, the equivalent of about 35.000 euro named.

Ford F-150 lightning
from spring 2022, the all-electric pick-up is to be available at prices starting from 40.000 dollars, with a range of between 370 and 480 kilometers and the ability to charge bidirectionally in north america to get people excited about electromobility.

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