Los Angeles Show | Our favorites

Our journalist Éric LeFrançois attended the Los Angeles show media day. He shares with us his favorites here.

Eric LeFrançois
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Fisker Ocean

Hitherto rather unobtrusive, the company founded in 2007 by Henrik Fisker, former head stylist of BMW, is targeting the heart of the market with the Ocean, a fully electric SUV. This vehicle, which is scheduled for sale in December 2022, targets buyers of the current Ford Mach-E and Tesla Model Y. The front-wheel drive architecture (traction) developed by the Californian brand allows, by adding a second engine, to drive all the wheels. According to those responsible for its development, the Ocean will be able to cover, on a full load, some 563 km. Among the highlights of this model is the size of its infotainment screen: 17.1 inches. Never seen.

Hyundai Seven

This is only a concept study, but the Seven gives a taste of the mobility of tomorrow, where our vehicles will look like our homes. The storage has been multiplied and almost becomes the cupboards of a mobile home. Armchairs that move, a U-shaped loveseat that allows you to contemplate the decor that scrolls or, looking at the ceiling, to watch a Canadiens game. The Seven offers passengers the opportunity to live in a friendly place where you can move around without looking at the road … Equipped with fully autumn driving, the Seven can however be driven using a broomstick (joystick).

Imperium SEV

Star of the Montreal Electric Vehicle Show which took place a few weeks ago, the young Chinese company Imperium took its first walkabout at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The first deliveries of this SUV dubbed SEV will begin next month. This model, which rivals the Toyota RAV4 and other Honda CR-V in size, will offer consumers the choice between two types of batteries (55 kWh or 72 kWh). Both will provide comfortable autonomy (over 300 km) and subsidies from two levels of government. Once these are subtracted, the price of Imperium SEV drops below the symbolic $ 30,000 mark.

Kia Sportage and EV9

Kia’s EV9 is a study promised for series production. This massive utility – its size compares to that of the Telluride on sale at Kia – puts its three rows of seats on an electric architecture similar to that of the EV6. Six people will be invited to board this vehicle which, in its conceptual form, has doors with opposing opening. In the process, Kia presented a preview of the hybrid version of the Sportage. This takes over the same propellant (1.6 L engine paired with a 1.49 kWh electric power unit) as that of the Hyundai Tucson, the almost twin of the model.

Mazda CX-50

Like many manufacturers, Mazda skipped the Los Angeles show, but still took advantage of the excitement surrounding the event to present its new utility, the CX-50. This model intends to seduce customers by its lines, but also by the richness of the materials that compose it. Technically, Mazda announces that all-wheel drive will be the drive mode offered on this model and that consumers can configure the chassis as they wish. We will also find within the programming an assistance to circulate off-road or to tow a load. In addition, when this vehicle is expected to launch by next spring, the buyer will have the choice between the naturally aspirated version and the supercharged version of the brand’s 2.5L four-cylinder engine. Mazda management confirms that a hybrid version will be offered at a later date.

Nissan rogue

In the shadow of Z and Ariya was the Snape. The Snape? Renewed barely a year ago, this utility is already the subject of a major update and it is under the hood. Indeed, to the current 2.5L four-cylinder, Nissan adds a supercharged 1.5L three-cylinder with variable compression ratio. A technology which, in Canada at least, has so far been reserved for certain Infiniti products, a luxury subsidiary of Nissan. A mechanism that promises not only higher performance, but above all appreciable gains in terms of consumption.

Subaru Solterra

What remains of Subaru’s DNA? This is the question that many aficionados of the Japanese brand will ask themselves when detailing the Solterra. The first electric vehicle resulting from close collaboration with Toyota (bZ4X), the Solterra, as we can imagine, does not have a flat engine. However, it retains asymmetric all-wheel drive. The honor is safe, even if the all-wheel drive is no longer, strictly speaking, in constant mesh. In fact, Subaru StarDrive technology transfers high torque on demand, whatever the speed of the vehicle, and includes configurable modes for power and regeneration. In addition, the Solterra will not be afraid to venture off the beaten track thanks to its ground clearance of 210 mm and the X-Mode assistance which accentuates the performance of the all-wheel drive.

Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo GTS

In the art of declining a range, Porsche is a past master. The German firm has provided proof of this again in Los Angeles by adding a GTS livery to its Taycan range and another model, the Taycan Sport Turismo. The missing links, according to Porsche. The Taycan GTS ($ 150,100) is positioned between the 4S and the Turbo. As for the Sport Turismo, it retains, more or less, the silhouette of the Cross Turismo and “is aimed at those who seek the practicality of the Taycan Cross Turismo, but who wish to enjoy the road performance of the sports sedan. Taycan ”.

Toyota bZ4X

Hesitant for a long time, Toyota made the leap to all-electric with a first model, the bZ4X. This, designed in collaboration with Subaru (see Solterra), will offer, unlike the Solterra, two drive modes (traction or all-wheel drive). Unsurprisingly, the towed version is the one that will offer the greatest range, some 400 km. Everything suggests that the bZ4X will benefit from the same all-wheel drive system as the Subaru. For now, Toyota does not officially communicate any technical characteristics, let alone the price range of this model expected in Canadian showrooms next summer. This model is expected to compete with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volkswagen ID.4, Nissan Ariya and Ford Mustang Mach-E.

VinFast VF e35

After food, entertainment, real estate and whatnot, Vingroup, a Vietnamese private conglomerate, is now interested in the automobile. Anxious to create a “better world” (known air), the Asian brand unveiled in Los Angeles its first two electric vehicles, the VF e35 (our photo) and VF e36. Designed by the Italian studio Pininfarina, these two models promise a range varying from 459 km to 679 km on a full charge. Marketing, including in Canada, will begin in the fall of 2022. These two products will be assembled in Vietnam, but VinFast is not ruling out the idea of ​​producing them in North America.