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1955 Ford Crown VictoriaCars from the Los Angeles Auto Show
We break down the biggest news and unveilings from the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show including news from Kia, Lucid, Amazon, and More.
Biggest Releases from Top Auto Makers
The 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show is upon us with all-new model debuts, North American debuts, and debuts of companies that we’ve never heard of. We’re here to break down all of the most important unveilings from Genesis, Lucid, Toyota, and more. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from the 2023 LA Auto Show.
Genesis, Kia, and Hyundai Wow Again
There’s little doubt that these three brands from Korea are all in prime position to continue a recent string of dominance. For its part, Hyundai unveiled the new Ioniq 5 N, a 641 hp all-electric rocket ship on wheels. It features an 84 kWh battery pack and two electric motors that provide all-wheel drive. Hyundai says it’ll do 0-62 mph in just 3.4 seconds before thundering on to a top speed of 162 mph.
It also brought the all-new Santa Fe to the LA Auto Show. This new super-boxy SUV blends old-school classic design elements with a lot of advanced technology. The interior is jam-packed with straight simple lines and a mix of both touch and physical controls. An XRT trim offers 1.5 inches of additional ground clearance over the standard version of the Santa Fe along with 30-inch AT tires too. It even announced a partnership with Amazon that will allow buyers to buy a car directly from the online retailer starting next year.
Genesis also pulled the wraps off of its production version of the GV80 Coupe concept that we saw earlier this year. Built as a more aggressive and sporty version of the already good GV80, this four-seat slope-roofed SUV is aimed squarely at pulling buyers away from BMW, Audi, Mercedes, and Porsche. Power starts with a 300 hp four-cylinder but buyers can also opt for a 375 hp V6. Kia wasn’t left out of the pack either as it showed up with the EV3 compact SUV concept and the EV4 sedan concept that could soon join the EV6 and EV9 in full-time production.
Toyota, Subaru, and Honda Underwhelm
Three Japanese automakers brought big important products to the LA Auto Show and none really wowed us. Honda showed up with little more than its Prelude concept car. Notably, it’s a pretty two-door all-electric coupe and we’re excited to see it make it to production but considering how big the LA Auto Show is, we expected more from the brand.
Toyota unveiled the new 2025 Camry which has the face of a new Prius but not much else to get excited about. The rear end looks only slightly different and the biggest news is that Toyota is axing the V6, possibly the best part of the Camry lineup to this point. Instead, the entire range will get a hybrid four-cylinder with 225 hp or 232 hp if the buyer selects AWD.
Finally, Subaru showed off the new Forester and probably wished that it didn’t. Critics hit it hard for styling that was likened to an old Ford Explorer by dozens of fans. Beyond the unpretty face at hand, the running gear isn’t exactly inspiring.
Under the hood is a 2.5-liter flat four-cylinder engine with just 180 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque. Rumor has it that Subaru will team up with Toyota to drop a new hybrid engine into the Forester at some point soon. Will that spice things up? There’s no way to know just yet.
Electric Vehicles That Can Make Or Break Their Makers
No all-electric vehicle from a bonafide automaker may be as important to the future of its brand as the Gravity is to Lucid. The Saudi-owned EV brand launched the company with the Air, a dapper and dashing sedan. It’s managed to wow journalists while also failing to capture enough market share thus far.
The Gravity is Lucid’s all-new three-row SUV coming sometime late next year it says and frankly, it can’t get here soon enough. After somewhat disappointing production figures in 2022, Lucid is following that performance up with what might be missed production targets in 2023.
The Gravity could help to alleviate the pressure to sell more if it’s snapped up by the buying public. Lucid says that it’ll start at under $80,000 and offer up to 440 miles of range along with a 0-60 mph time of just 3.5 seconds. “The Gravity SUV represents a significant leap forward for Lucid’s world-leading technology and design,” said Peter Rawlinson, Lucid CEO. “Customers will find an unprecedented combination of space and maneuverability, luxury, and versatility, all seamlessly integrated into one remarkable vehicle with the driving experience and range of a true Lucid.”
Just for fun, we’re also going to include the Aitekx Robotruck in this category. Think of it as the Tesla Cybertruck but with even more angles and what appears to be even worse build quality. The company says that it’ll start at just $45,000 (a feat that not even Tesla could pull off with the Cybertruck), and offer a maximum of 550 miles of range and a top speed of 165 mph. If any of that ever makes it into production form I’ll eat my keyboard. To the credit of Aitekx, at least it was brave enough to show up at such a big show with a real life-sized prototype.
