The LA Auto Show has been a ritual that I have enjoyed for 12 years now. For the last 8 of those 12 years, this annual rite of passage has been enjoyed with the company of my brother in law, a car fanatic himself.
In preparing to go to the show this morning, Agent 001 e-mailed me a list of "must see" cars and items at the show.
The list did not go ignored, however a list of my own began to form as I watched the people at the show as much as I watched the cars themselves.
Although in no particular order or importance, here is the short list of questions I came away with in attending the LA Auto Show.
1. Where do all the beautiful people (woman) come from that man display after display after display at the auto show? Agent 001 would contend that they are all from Orange County, and while Orange County sure does have more than its fair share of good looking people, the vast majority of people I spoke with today who were working the show WEREN'T from Southern California.
2. In explaining the Hybrid Saturn Vue, the young lady working the carousel explained that the Tecktometer (I know the spelling is wrong, I am spelling what she was saying) had been replaced by an efficiency gauge. She didn't mis-pronounce the word tachometer, I stopped to listen, she repeatedly said Tecktometer. Gee, and you wonder why the Big Three are in trouble. The "eye candy" used to display the product wasn't even using common automotive terms correctly, but I digress...
3. Why do all Aston Martins look the same? I said to my brother in law, "...you could buy the cheapest Aston (Vantage V8) and tell all your friends you spent $200k for it, and the majority wouldn't know the difference." I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want my brand new DBS being confused with a lowly Vantage V8. A pretty face perhaps, but one that has been done over, and over, and over again.
4. In reference to item 1, all the beautiful people. Since these folks are all employed by marketing companies, not the actual manufacturers, how does the job listing read for these jobs? "WANTED: People able to memorize corporate propaganda to spew forth on uninformed buying public. NO UGLY OR FAT PEOPLE. Must have perfect teeth." Yes, I know ugly people wouldn't sell as many cars, but to have so many pretty faces in one location...
5. I asked the young lady representing Smart if it was true that you could actually be buried in your Smart car after it gets crushed in a freeway accident. She smiled and told me that since the Smart was 13 feet long and 5'1" tall, it probably wouldn't fit in a standard size grave which she explained to me is 4 foot by 7 foot by 6 feet deep. This girl was sharp witted, she answered my smart ass question with such vigor never missing a beat as she took serious my silliness.
6. You know you've arrived when you are invited into the "by invitation only" area of the super exotic cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce and Bentley. I guess I hadn't arrived yet, as I was looking at the Bentley Continental Flying Spur and the young lady manning the booth didn't so much as look up from the copy of Vogue she was reading. The funny thing is that while I was incognito today (like Clark Griswald in National Lampoon's Vacation) with family, I could buy the Bentley if so desired.
7. Where do I buy my wife a set of stockings like the ones worn by all the girls working the Volkswagen display? Do the guys working for Volkswagen have to wear them under their slacks?
8. If iDrive was such a bad idea, why has everyone including now Lexus copied the idea? Maybe, just maybe BMW was onto something...
9. While we are on the subject of Lexus, is this really the best they could have come up with for the new RX? It seems to me that the RX has visited the same plastic surgeon as all the Acura models.
10. If the show had been held in April of this year prior to $4.00 gas, would we have seen such a heavy emphasis on Hybrid and "green" technology?
11. I love the design of the new Mustang, but where is the independent rear suspension? Camaro and Challenger both have IRS. Alan Mulally, if you are listening, YOU NEED TO PUT AN INDEPENDENT REAR SUSPENSION TO KEEP THE MUSTANG COMPETITIVE IN THIS SEGMENT, AND TO TRULY MAKE IT WORLD CLASS. LIVE REAR AXLES ARE FOR TRUCKS.
12. Why no Lexus IS350c, or IS-f coupe. For such a great looking car, a more powerful engine is necessary to compete in this segment.
Of course these are just observations made during the day today as I roamed the floor of the LA Auto Show. Short of actually attending the show, the best way to experience the show would be to check out our extensive gallery that very accurately captures the essence of the show.
As I was heading back to my hotel tonight I saw a gas station here in Southern California with gas at $1.99 a gallon, at that price I would advise anyone within a 5 hour radius to make the drive to check out the LA Auto Show. It is truly a visual buffet for the eyes and imagination.
If you had a chance to attend the show, check in below and share some of your observations. I think it is fun to pick up on some of the subtle nuances that are part of the show. I know there are a lot of things I missed, but hey - there is always next year.
2008 LA Auto Show Gallery