New Models
New Models

2018 Los Angeles motor show: What to expect

This year's event looks to have some pretty big reveals, headlined by the new Mazda 3 and Porsche 911.


Kicking off on November 30, California’s big Los Angeles Auto Show is one of the largest on the calendar for North America, alongside the New York International Auto Show and the biggest, Detroit’s North American International Auto Show.

Over 1000 different vehicles are set to be on display during this year's event, including a number of reveals and debuts of all-new and updated models.

Many of those have been revealed already, either online or during special events, but plenty more are still to be shown and a handful have yet to be previewed at all.

What can we expect from this year’s show when the doors open this week? Catch our growing list below, but expect more than a few surprises, too.



BMW

The Bavarian luxury marque has a couple of big debuts lined up for LA, including the all-new M340i sedan (above), and the 8 Series Convertible (below).

Following the reveal of the wider 3 Series range in Paris earlier this year, the M340i will serve as the performance hero for the time being until the full-fat M3 arrives, powered by a 275kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six,

In North America, the M340i will be available with both rear-wheel drive and xDrive all-wheel drive, while markets like Australia will have to make do with the latter. BMW claims a 0-100 sprint time of just 4.4 seconds for the xDrive version.

Meanwhile, the 8 Series Convertible is the latest member of the company's flagship sports car range, joining the hard-roofed 8 Series coupe. At launch both 840d xDrive six-cylinder diesel and M850i xDrive twin-turbo V8 versions will be offered, with specifications largely aligned with the coupe bar the folding fabric roof.

Other highlights at the BMW stand will include the all-new X5 and X7 SUVs, the former having just launched in Australia, with the latter headed Down Under in the second quarter of 2019.



Hyundai

Korea will be strongly represented in LA this year, with Hyundai to reveal its all-new flagship SUV, the Palisade.

Sitting above the Santa Fe in the company's global line-up, the Palisade has been confirmed to offer seating for up to eight people, and will be available with the company's latest in driver assistance and active safety systems.

A leaked image of the production model surfaced online a couple of weeks ago (above), showing the Palisade will differentiate itself further from the Santa Fe compared to the outgoing Grand Santa Fe currently on sale in numerous left-hand drive markets like North America and parts of Europe.

The Palisade is still a left-hook proposition only at this stage, ruling it out for our market at least initially. Would you be keen on a full-size Hyundai over a Mazda CX-9 or Toyota Kluger?



Jeep

The iconic American off-roader brand will officially reveal the new Wrangler-based Gladiator ute in Los Angeles, reviving a long-running nameplate from Jeep's history.

We've already seen leaked images of the new utility, which don't really offer any surprises – it's a Wrangler cab with a tray tacked on the rear.

According to a leaked press package published on an enthusiast forum, the Gladiator will launch exclusively with a 3.6-litre naturally-aspirated V6 petrol engine, fitted to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic with selectable all-wheel drive and available differential locks to maintain the Wrangler's lauded off-road ability.

The leaked documents also seem to confirm the availability of a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel from 2020, which will come as standard with an eight-speed automatic and idle stop/start technology.

We don't know if it's coming to Australia yet, but it would almost be stupid not to bring it here considering our market's incessant thirst for dual-cab utes.



Kia

The new-generation Soul will make its global debut in Los Angeles this week, ahead of a North American on-sale date during the first half of 2019.

While it hasn't been much of a sales success locally, the Soul is somewhat of a halo model overseas, and it's proven to be rather popular in places like the US and Europe.

At launch, there will be three powertrains available: a 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine, a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, and an all-electric model named the Soul EV.

Kia has confirmed the new Soul will be offered in SUV-styled X-Line trim for the first time as well, which should fill the small SUV gap in the company's line-up until the production version of the SP concept arrives late next year.

The next-gen Soul should also be offered with the company's latest driver-assistance and active safety systems, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop&go, along with lane-keep assist.

If you can't wait until November 28, you can get a first look at an undisguised prototype here.



Lincoln

Ford's luxury arm will revive the Aviator nameplate in the form of a three-row SUV based on the concept of the same name revealed for this year's New York motor show earlier this year.

Believed to be on track for a North American launch in the second half of next year, the Aviator will be based on a new rear-wheel drive platform that will be shared with the next-generation Ford Explorer, and be somewhat of a technology showcase.

The Aviator will offer a range of semi-autonomous driver assistance technologies, a fully-digital instrument cluster, available 30-way power adjustment for the front seats, WiFi hotspot, numerous charging points for mobile devices, and the option of a brand-first plug-in hybrid powertrain.

While we probably won't ever see the Aviator in Australia anytime soon, it could preview what's to come for the new Ford Explorer which is rumoured to be developed for right-hand drive – which could put it on the cards for our market.



Mazda

The all-new Mazda 3 is scheduled to be revealed at the Los Angeles motor show this week, marking the first major overhaul of the Japanese brand's popular small car since 2013.

So far, we know the new-gen hatchback and sedan will draw heavy inspiration from last year's Kai concept in terms of design inside and out, along with debuting Mazda's new SkyActiv-X compression-ignition petrol engine technology – the latter claimed to offer the low-end torque and efficiency of a diesel engine without the NOX emissions or power deficit.

A new driver-focused cabin layout will also feature, incorporating more upmarket materials compared to the current model, along with the possibility of a new infotainment system and the wider rollout of Mazda's driver assistance technologies.

There's no word on when the new 3 will hit local showrooms yet, but expect the new-gen model to be as much of a sales success as the current one.



Mercedes-AMG/Mercedes-Benz

The three-pointed star will be revealing the AMG GT R Pro, alongside a revised range of GT coupes and Roadsters.

Previewed with a camouflaged teaser image (above) the GT R Pro will be based on the already wild AMG GT R, and will be a limited-edition model designed to "deliver even more racetrack performance' drawing upon the GT3 and GT4 motorsport versions of AMG's bespoke supercar.

It's unknown whether the 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 will get a power and torque bump, but the company has confirmed we can expect more a more aggressive aerodynamics package, along with design changes inside and out shared with the wider range.



Nissan

The facelifted 2019 Maxima will be detailed at the LA event this week, after being revealed in a single image at the end of October.

In addition to the minor design changes shown in the above picture, the new Maxima will be available with the company's Nissan Safety Shield 360 technology suite, which includes autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-departure warning.

There's also new full-LED headlights, likely reserved for high-spec models, and it's likely the updated sedan will be available with Nissan's new variable-compression 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which has already debuted in the smaller Altima along with the Infiniti QX50 SUV.

While the Maxima was dropped from the local line-up years ago, it still serves as an important model in the company's North American line-up as its flagship passenger car.

The Los Angeles motor show website also lists a second mystery 'Nissan vehicle' scheduled for debut at this week's event. Stay tuned for our coverage.



Porsche

Porsche will reveal the new '992' generation 911 sports car in Los Angeles, headlined by an evolutionary design, updated infotainment displays, and the availability of plug-in hybrid power for the first time in the model's 50-year history.

The next-gen rear-engined sports car has been somewhat revealed in leaked images this week – more on those here – and should feature a range of turbocharged flat-six petrol engines at launch.

Check out Car and Driver's review of the new 911 prototype here.



Subaru

Following its reveal last week, the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid will make its public debut at the LA show.

Subaru's first plug-in hybrid borrows technology from the Toyota Prius Prime PHEV, combining a 102kW/182Nm 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated 'boxer' with two electric motors and an 8.8kWh battery pack.

Claimed EV driving range is rated at up to 27km, with pricing in the US to kick off at US$34,995 ($48,289), some US$7800 ($10,763) more than the top-spec petrol only Crosstrek.

It appears we won't get the Crosstrek Hybrid as the XV in the Australian market, according to the local division, though Subaru Australia has indicated it plans to launch hybrids Down Under late in 2019.



Toyota

Toyota will reveal the hybrid version of its all-new Corolla Sedan later this week, marking the first time the company's small car has been offered Stateside with a petrol-electric powertrain.

We already know what the new sedan looks like – it was revealed in China a fortnight ago – though only the 125kW/200Nm 2.0-litre 'Dynamic Force' petrol engine was detailed at the reveal.

Compared to the related hatchback, the Corolla sedan rides on a slightly longer wheelbase (2700mm), and should offer a more accommodating boot area.

Australians will have to wait "more than a year" to see the sedan locally, according to the local arm, indicating a very late-2019 or early-2020 launch for Australia.


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