A Wrap Of The Hottest From The Los Angeles Auto Show 2016

The Los Angeles Auto Show has grown in stature and strength, and is getting very crucial for all of us motoring hacks. Why? Well it's simply because a lot of brands are now choosing LA to show us new concepts, production cars, technology and even make strategic business announcements here. So I was at the show this year and here's my list of the top ten newsmakers at LA.

1. Ford took the covers off the EcoSport facelift with a view not only refresh the car, but also make a formal US market introduction. When the EcoSport was developed it was primarily aimed at China, Brazil and India. Now it's already selling in Western Europe, and soon the United States. That's been great news for Ford India. More markets asking for this subcompact SUV means greater export orders! The new car is more masculine, ditches the spare on the tailgate and majorly spruces up the interior, with a new touchscreen holding pride of place. It arrives in India in the second half of 2017. Engines will stay unchanged.
   

   New Ford EcoSport
2. The Jaguar I-Pace has been a nice little surprise package for many. It was known in the run-up to the LA Show that Jaguar was going to show an electric concept, but that it'd be an all-new model and not an experimental car was a shock! The I-Pace is gorgeous, and in one swoop hits two bullseyes. Jaguar gets another crossover - a more compact one - which is the need of the hour in any carmaker's portfolio. And it also addresses the big need JLR has had for an EV (electric vehicle) model in its lineup. The I-Pace hits production in 2018 and promises a 500 kilometre range on a single charge.
   

   Jaguar I-Pace
3. Sure the Alfa Romeo Stelvio will possibly ever come to our market, and I may not even get to drive one in the immediate future! But it gets my attention alright, because it screams Italian design, promises massive segment-benchmark performance and is possibly the SUV Ferrari will never make! Yes that is the kind of engineering and performance the Stelvio is claiming. The Porsche Macan rival is indeed stirring things up in Europe and was a bold debut for the LA Show.
   

   Alfa Romeo Stelvio

4. Jeep will bring its Compass compact SUV to America as well. The car was first shown a few weeks ago in Brazil and now makes its way here to LA. The Compass will be made at 4 locations worldwide to service their respective regions. India though will be the sole manufacturing location for the Right-Hand-Drive version, so it will mean that if the Compass goes to the UK, Australia and South Africa, Fiat-Chrysler India will the one shipping it to them. The Compass will debut in India next March or April, with petrol/diesel, 2WD/4WD, manual/auto variants. Expect very aggressive prices from Jeep, as it believes this is a make or break model for us.
   

   Jeep Compass
5. The latest 5th generation of the Honda CR-V made a rather quiet and unceremonious debut here at LA. The buzz is that the car would still take some time to get to the European and most Asian markets - India included. And so Honda preferred not to bring too much attention to it. Visually the car's design looks like an evolution of the last two generations - while not as pretty as the 3rd gen, its certainly way nicer and more premium than the 4th. The CR-V shown in LA had seating for 5, a generous boot, petrol powertrain options and new connectivity and navigation. Expect it in India by the Auto Expo 2018.
   

   New-Gen Honda CR-V

6. Mercedes-Maybach is well and truly opening up as a new sub-brand. The revival of Maybach using the S-Class as its launch board is working. If the regular AMG spec S-Cabrio didn't do it for you, here's the even more luxurious and more powerful S650 Cabrio. The fact that the car looks rather delicious just adds to its sex appeal. It promises blistering performance, powered by the same AMG-engineered 6.0 litre twin-turbo V12 that's makes 621 horses. The open top Maybach goes 0-100 in 4 seconds and top speed is 250 kmph.
   

   Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet
7. The Chevrolet Spark Active or Beat Active as we would call it has finally shown up in production-ready avatar. It's got the cladding and the Activ badge that we saw on the Auto Expo car. Chevy has upped the ride height by 10 mm and also added 15" alloys, roof rails, rocker panels, new round fog lamps and an updated and more rugged-look grille. The bumpers get the black cladfordding too and the off-road skidplates are there for show, and so not really actual skidplates! An India launch is imminent.
   

   Chevrolet Beat Activ
8. Volkswagen's new fullsize SUV - Atlas is made for the USA and VW says it will also sell it in China. The 3-row brute has an attractive face and form, and even though the company denies it - is being considered for other markers already. The Atlas would be perfect for India if VW could localise it heavily and also be aggressive on price. It would then be a very juicy proportion in positioning terms to really scare the bejeebers out of the Toyota Fortuner, isn't it?
   

   Volkswagen Atlas

9. The MINI Countryman was a major world debut at the LA Show this year. The new generation car is wider and appears much bigger, but is really quite similar in proportions to the 1st gen Countryman. The Countryman gets a slew of updated engines and is also now studded with a lot more gadgetry on-board. The new Countryman is built on the same platform that also spawns the new BMW 1 Series sedan and the new X1 that arrived in India at the start of the year.
   

   2017 MINI Countryman

10. Save the best for last they say! The Cadillac Escala is a concept car that's in here just for its looks! The gorgeous concept is flowing and proportionate, and shows off a possible BMW 7 Series rival - a space Cadillac has so far avoided. What is also refreshing is that unlike Cadillac's past few concepts, this one is not over-the-top. We also get to see the return of the flamboyant and large proportioned American sedan - something else that's been missing for some time. Buick has a similar concept, but I have to say the Escala takes it - also because it's not outlandish!
    

    Cadillac Escala