Los Angeles Auto Show November 20-29, 2015

[mmcartalk]

I thought I'd post the show's website well in advance, so that those of you planning to attend the L.A. Auto Show in November could plan ahead (November. 20-29, unless you are part of the auto press, which has an earlier 17th-19th preview). I know that particular show is quite popular, and, IMO, makes more sense than the even bigger one in Detroit, given that the L.A. region is arguably the center of the country's auto culture, and sells roughly ten times the number of new vehicles that the Detroit area does. The D.C. region, where I live, also has a huge number of new-vehicle sales....some six times what the Detroit area does. But the Detroit show is such an established tradition that it still gets most of the attention and all-new displays.

I'll be at the D.C. show myself, as usual, January 21-31, (with free passes), for at least three or four days.

http://laautoshow.com

 

[IS-SV]

Is that normal date range for LA show?

SF show will be same time (Thanksgiving week), followed by Silicon Valley/SJ show in early January. I go to both shows but the sprawling SF show at expanded Moscone center is biggest by far.

 

[mmcartalk]

Is that normal date range for LA show?

SF show will be same time (Thanksgiving week), followed by Silicon Valley/SJ show in early January. I go to both shows but the sprawling SF show at expanded Moscone center is biggest by far.

The L.A. show, like those in most larger cities, usually is scheduled in (roughly) the same time period (date-range) each year...but not necessarily the exact same days.

It's hard to imagine the S.F. show actually being larger, but, since you have experience there, I'll take your word for it. L.A. is usually considered the center of the country's auto-culture, just like Detroit used to be the auto industry's corporate-center until the industry became globalized and some headquarters moved South and West, away from Detroit.

Also, if you need (or want) an excuse to drive down the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, I probably can't think of a better one than a nice car show waiting for you in L.A. (and the Fiat Spyder you asked about will probably be there) The bridge at Big Sur, of course, is the backdrop for many car ads and marketing photo-ops.

 

[IS-SV]

The L.A. show, like those in most larger cities, usually is scheduled in (roughly) the same time period (date-range) each year...but not necessarily the exact same days.

It's hard to imagine the S.F. show actually being larger, but, since you have experience there, I'll take your word for it. L.A. is usually considered the center of the country's auto-culture, just like Detroit used to be the auto industry's corporate-center until the industry became globalized and some headquarters moved South and West, away from Detroit.

.

No way SF is larger than LA show. My comment was about SF vs SJ shows.

Agreed, LA us still car center of world essentially.

Yes PCH is one of a kind. Last pic I took on Bixby bridge on hw 1 was 15 years ago.

 

[mmcartalk]

No way SF is larger than LA show. My comment was about SF vs SJ shows.

Agreed, LA us still car center of world essentially.

Yes PCH is one of a kind. Last pic I took on Bixby bridge on hw 1 was 15 years ago.

Skyline Drive / Blue Ridge Parkway here in the East is also stunningly beautiful...but a different kind of beauty than the PCH.

Is PCH a toll road? If so, my guess is they'll collect quite a sum from people driving down to L.A. for the show.

 

[IS-SV]

Skyline Drive / Blue Ridge Parkway here in the East is also stunningly beautiful...but a different kind of beauty than the PCH.

Is PCH a toll road? If so, my guess is they'll collect quite a sum from people driving down to L.A. for the show.

SkylineDrive/BlueRidge Parkway is very different (like no Pacific ocean views), pictures I've seen are beautiful.

No PCH is state highway 1, no tolls. Maybe what you were thinking of is 17 mile drive, a scenic toll road at Pebble Beach.

 

[Bulldog 1]

Sigh...I remember when the Miami Beach International Auto Show used to be significant. So many manufacturers have scaled down or withdrawn from attending completely it just isn't what it once was. Of course I've barely attended over the past decade because I'm always in Las Vegas at the SEMA Show that entire week. The Ft. Lauderdale show in April is an end of season afterthought held in one hall with very little variety. Although Lexus had a very nice, large area this year with an orange RC-F front and center.

 

[mmcartalk]

Sigh...I remember when the Miami Beach International Auto Show used to be significant. So many manufacturers have scaled down or withdrawn from attending completely it just isn't what it once was.

Mitsubishi had all but forgotten auto shows recently (they haven't been at D.C. for several years), but I notice they will have some floor space at L.A. this year...we'll see what happens at Miami next time. Porsche, likewise, even skipped the Detroit show one year recently, but will get the Petrie Hall display at the L.A. show this time.

The Ft. Lauderdale show in April is an end of season afterthought held in one hall with very little variety.

If you aren't satisfied with the Ft. Lauderdale show in April, there is the big one that time of year in New York, but, of course, you might have to do some traveling.

That's one reason I like the local D.C. show each year in late January. It's not quite as big as the L.A. or Detroit shows, nor has as many all-new displays. But is now a borderline Class-A show, (formerly a Class B), and it offers almost as much as the top shows without a lot of traveling or planning on my part. I can be there from my house (or back home) in about an hour.

 

[Bulldog 1]

I'd love to do the Detroit show once but for a Florida native in January, that'll never happen!

 

[mmcartalk]

Looks like Scion is going to introduce a new concept at the show, but they won't release a picture of it.

http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/world+debut+scion+concept+laas+oct6.htm

 

[IS-SV]

^ I'll look for it as SF car show Thanksgiving weekend.

 

[mmcartalk]

^ I'll look for it as SF car show Thanksgiving weekend.

I know you are usually not one for speculation or guesswork, but, right now, the betting on some other forums is that it will be either the xB replacement or a small Scion SUV (maybe on that possible sub-compact Toyota SUV platform that has generated interest/discussion and whether Lexus would do a sub-NX version of it).

 

[IS-SV]

I know you are usually not one for speculation or guesswork, but, right now, the betting on some other forums is that it will be either the xB replacement or a small Scion SUV (perhaps on that possible sub-compact Toyota SUV platform that has generated a lot of interest and discussion here).

I do plenty of automotive speculation and educated guesswork too, guilty lol.

I agree, Scion certainly needs a good xB replacement.

They should not forget their very successful roots, largely built on success of first gen xB. I admired it from day 1 (yes, I was probably the oldest guy admiring it, and I bought/paid for one for a close relative).

 

[mmcartalk]

I do plenty of automotive speculation and educated guesswork too, guilty lol.

I agree, Scion certainly needs a good xB replacement.

They should not forget their very successful roots, largely built on success of first gen xB. I admired it from day 1 (yes, I was probably the oldest guy admiring it, and I bought/paid for one for a close relative).

I'll join you in that guilty plea.

The 1Gen xB, though not specifically marketed towards that group, actually sold surprisingly well among older people. It combined a number of things, all in one vehicle, that appealed to some older folks......a low price, space-efficiency, cargo room, ease of entry/exit, Toyota reliability, and freedom from bargaining stress in the deal-making process. Probably the only real complaint was the center-stack gauges, which some found to be a PITA.

 

[mmcartalk]

Hmmm.....apparantly the Orange County Show is still going on until Sunday. I didn't know that Southern California had another major show going this close to the big L.A. show coming up in just another month or so.

http://autoshowoc.com

 

[IS-SV]

^ Note: Orange County show doesn't look very big per map/layout (smaller than LA and SF shows per reviews too ), still looks like good fun though.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

^ Note: Orange County show doesn't look very big per map/layout (smaller than LA and SF shows per reviews too ), still looks like good fun though.

The OC show is right by Disneyland...there's not much really to see at the actual show itself. The only thing worth doing would be the manufacturers' test drives, but you also have to deal with the local traffic in the area while test driving, which isn't helped by the traffic into Disney.

 

[mmcartalk]

The OC show is right by Disneyland...there's not much really to see at the actual show itself. The only thing worth doing would be the manufacturers' test drives, but you also have to deal with the local traffic in the area while test driving, which isn't helped by the traffic into Disney.

Thanks for clarifying that. I'm on the East Coast (Washington, D.C. area), and not really that familiar with the OC show (perhaps I should not have stated it as a major show, but its web-site gave that impression). The L.A. show, of course, is one of the largest in the country....and deserves to be.

 

[IS-SV]

Yes, thanks Tragic Bronson. I knew we had knowledgeable posters from southern CA.

 

[mmcartalk]

The only thing worth doing would be the manufacturers' test drives, but you also have to deal with the local traffic in the area while test driving, which isn't helped by the traffic into Disney.

Yep.....same way at the D.C. show each January. Alternating on certain days, Toyota, Kia, Subaru, Mazda, Scion, and sometimes Cadillac share test-drive circuits set up in the city streets around the show.....but it doesn't really tell you much except how the vehicles ride and steer in stop-and-go traffic over city potholes. I wouldn't call it a true test-drive.....certainly not what I do in my reviews.