Best Cars of the 2019 LA Auto Show

he Volkswagen ID. Space Vizzion Concept (with a period in the name) is a station wagon able to go 300 miles, driven by a 275-hp rear electric motor, with an optional front motor for a 355-hp AWD wagon. The concept lowers wind resistance by replacing door handles with touch surfaces. Inside, rhere's a floatng 15.6-inch touchscreen. A production version will be sold in the US as well as Europe, VW says.

Los Angeles is king of the US auto shows. And it’s looking at the future. LA does the best job of introducing and showcasing cars people buy and cars, SUVs, hybrids, PHEVs, and EVs that people are buying in small but increasing quantities. Our picks for 2019 are heavy on electrified cars because that’s what automakers focused on in LA, including the show-stealer, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and, and the fire-breathing Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid with 302 horsepower – not a typo – and a sub-six-second 0-60 time.

Here’s our pick of the best cars from this year’s show. It was a rich set of introductions, in part because there’s no other big show for months. The next top-tier US show isn’t until April, the New York Auto Show (NYIAS), because Detroit (NAIAS) has given up its wintry January date for June. The LA Auto Show continues with public days Friday (Nov. 22) through Sunday, Dec. 1.

 

The LA Auto Show concludes two days of press introductions, which followed several days of Automobility, the showcase and conference for new and alternative ideas in transportation, particularly alternative energy vehicles.

For press and analysts attending the major auto shows, the palm trees outside the LA Convention Center were a strong contrast to wintry winds of the Detroit show that came six weeks later. But Detroit in 2020 moves to a balmier June setting. Temperatures were in the 80s during the week.

The show was also the scene of some of the first car of the year awards: Motor Trend cited the Chevrolet Corvette, Kia Telluride, Ram 1500, and Peter Schreyer, president and head of design management of Hyundai Motor Group (including Kia) as car, SUV, truck, and person of the year for 2020.

The North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) group announced its COTY finalists. Car: Chevrolet Corvette, Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Supra. Utility vehicle: Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride, Lincoln Aviator. Truck: Ford Ranger Jeep Gladiator, Ram Heavy Duty pickup. The NACTOY awards had been announced at the Detroit show but now that it’s a June show, the awards have become a freestanding event in Detroit January 13.

Now read:

• Ford Mach-E: It’s a Mustang, an EV (Yes), an SUV (Gasp), Very Quick, and the Future of Ford
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• Top Cars of the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show

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