Gloss, glamor and horsepower Protzerei at the Los Angeles Auto Show were yesterday. Today we are in the western coastal metropolis with new mobility concepts and economical cars, which many "miles per gallon" create. In the limelight so Europeans and Asians - the host's only a walk.
This strong car-engine capacity is one of the attractions of the Los Angeles Auto Show: the Ferrari California.
This picture speaks a thousand words: On the one hand, sweat the hostess at the brightly lit stands by Audi, VW or Nissan in the light of thousands of headlights and fight against the large throng of visitors. And on the other hand, when Chrysler ghost silence reigns in murky Schummerlicht: No spotlight on the ceiling, no staff at the information booth, no visitors halfway between the handful of new cars. Why? Chrysler has responded to the Los Angeles Auto Show this simply nothing to offer.
And although California is the most important state for the American auto industry and for approximately twelve percent of the approvals, it is at General Motors and Ford hardly better. Instead of the usual stalls magic, glitter and glamor offensive against the persistent crisis to fight, rehearses the ailing U.S. industry going to be in the World Capital of the beautiful note the dead dance in the dream factory.
Only Ford flickers at least a whiff of the old fire, as the revised version of the iconic Mustang U.S. on the stage rolls. Although fits the classic muscle car is really not in the umweltbewegten times, but the Mustang belongs to the family, says U.S. chief Mark Fields and laughs the laugh overstated a sad circus clowns when he says, need a bit of fun, even in these hard times his .
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Freud is one of the other suffering: While importers are also on the U.S. market is really not in celebration mood. But with such an ailing pet selection drive Asians and Europeans in Los Angeles, even with tightened handbrake a spectacular victory away: A couple of second-news, variant model and U.S. premieres rich on this show completely to the interest of the audience to captivate.
None of the missing so hurry again shifted VW roadster as a development executive Ulrich Hackenberg Instead, the ultra-diesel Jetta into the spotlight moves and a desert race car for the Baja California reveals the silhouette of the Touareg bears. Group subsidiary Audi scores in Los Angeles with the eagerly anticipated U.S. premiere of the Q5, a smaller site goers in a better fit than the time of the elemental Q7. Furthermore, Audi now also plays as a year ago already the Mercedes diesel card, and BMW agrees to the hymns of praise with an equal.
Much more attention than the self-detonators in Dreier and X5, however, with the mini-electric propulsion, directly after the show premiered in fleet trial for a year to hundreds of Beverly Hills will continue. But reason alone does not make happy: That is why the Mercedes SL 65 AMG is a particularly evil Black Series, and Porsche in Los Angeles celebrates the world premiere of the new generation of the Boxster and Cayman.
Even there, however, find meaning and sensuality closer together. Although the two sports have become faster, their consumption is decreased significantly. This is true - about two classes - even for the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, which is now the model takes care of the Coupes and sharpened with design and the new V10 with 560 hp direct injection at the start goes.
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The largest presence, however, have in Detroit to Asian manufacturers which also premieres all a big blast force for the European market. Thus, Mazda at the show the next generation of "3" unveiled in the spring of Golf & Co should muster. Although there is the car in the U.S. only as a short tail stage. But the sporty sedan is already a first view of the Fünftürer with steep conclusion, in two weeks at the fair in Bologna will be unveiled.
At Nissan stands next to the new edition of the 370 Z sports coupe especially the funny dice cube in the limelight, there was in the third edition eventually to create us, and the fine sister Infiniti shows for the first time its Foldaway convertible roof G 37, the time for German Entry in September and in Europe in the trade. Also new in Los Angeles is the Lexus RX SUV, which is also the summer with us against the trend toward small SUVs and growing competition must lift.
Everything fades to the dominant questions about state government guarantees and grants from laboriously, there are at the fair in relation to the products only two dominant themes: format and consumption: the Smart small cars like the Kia Soul, the U.S. version of the new Ford Fiesta or Mini will be more respected than Dick ships such as Hummer, Ford Explorer or Jeep Commander.
And when you look under the hood is no longer about power, but to reach. Electric or hybrid drives are least in demand than ever, the fuel cell is at Kia Borrego in the large SUV and Honda in a sports trial in the next round, and even a few pick-ups try their dwindling half-life period.
"We no longer look at Horsepower, but on Miles per gallon," says Vinnie Mandzak, the year before as a VIP seller of Mercedes-horsepower cars like the AMG models, the Maybach and SLR among the rich and famous has Distributes . Today he is the "Mr. Smart "in Hollywood and struggling with the same problems as before - months-long delivery time. It has been estimated by market watchers a simple reason:" It has the air of Los Angeles and San Francisco almost daily in mind, here are the strictest exhaust directives in the U.S. And there with Arnold Schwarzenegger Confessing an eco-activists as governor, says Miho Skovby of Jato Dynamics market observers. "That's why California is the greenest state in America."
But enough radiance for a hint of optimism have few eco-cars in the Los Angeles Convention Center is not: With a view to the next big auto show in Detroit the guests can literally after the dismal experience of the west therefore only guess at the home sick Giant safety's sake a few times einzupacken flashlights. Who knows whether after Chrysler does not even General Motors, Ford and until then the lights represent.