Since the Lakers aren't doing anything, they were gracious enough for the LA Auto Show to be held at the Staples Center. Anyway, since 1909 LA has had the Auto Show and as each year progressed, it grew to be one of the most important auto shows in the world. Thousands upon thousands get to feast their eyes on the such debuts like the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible, 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket, 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, 2012 Jaguar XKR-S Convertible, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, my new lover- the 2013 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 and my new in-laws- the 2013 Ford Mustang GT and Boss 302 Edition Mustang.
When you don't go to an auto show, you're forced to see what other news outlets covered. Sadly, some of the LA news outlets can't cover a car show to save their life and I'm wondering how they got the passes to begin with. But thankfully, folks like
autoblog.com,
Dub Magazine, and
motortrend.com, I was able to find out what showed up and what photos were produced. And the part of the show I thoroughly enjoy, although it would have been better if I was there, photos from different news sources and my commentary.
Sadly Chevrolet decided to unveil the Chevy Camaro ZL1 Convertible the same year that Ford releases the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Now, the Shelby is lighter, faster, and avoids the gas guzzler tax unlike the Camaro. So I'm rolling with my boy-toy, the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Is it bad that every time I type out his full name, I have a stupid looking grin on my face? Some folks like the weight and the larger size of the Camaro, but I've driven both and I adore the performance of the Ford Mustang to the Chevy Camaro, Jadakiss sounds better coming out of a Mustang, and Ford was smart enough to hire Derek Jeter as a Spokesmodel. Need I say more?
The only difference I see with the Ford Flex, is a little minor tweaking in the front. I don't know if they did any tinkering with the performance and the interior. One thing I can say about it, it's a very deceiving vehicle. It doesn't look big on the outside, but when you step inside and drive it, it's very spacious. I didn't drive it far enough to give it a great performance grade, but yes it is roomy.
After seeing these photos, if you want a Jaguar XKR-S Coupe, you will be S.O.L. since they've been sold out since the announcement of them coming to the States. (Note: Only 25 were coming to the US.) Specs include a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 rated at 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. With a standard six-speed paddle-shifted automatic, acceleration to 60 mph from a standstill takes just 4.2 seconds. Top speed is 186 mph and the MSRP is sitting at $138,875. The 25 people who ordered this are some lucky folks, because this is a cute car.
The one vehicle that will do GREAT in Atlanta... According to the AJC, food trucks are becoming more and more popular. So to restaurant owners looking for a new food truck, the Nissan NV2500 HD is the truck for you. (Note: If I was in LA at the time at this show, I probably would have spent more time at this food truck. I'm a fat girl trapped in a curvy body.)
I was a bit confused by the Infiniti JX. Infiniti claims that it's designed to fall between the FX and the QX but the size appears to be a smidgen smaller than the QX. It's almost like it's pointless. If you're going to make multiple SUV's, make sure there's a sizeable difference between them. The Infiniti FX and EX are extremely too close in size, then the Infiniti QX and JX are almost twins as well. Then again, Infiniti is a division of Nissan and I'm still trying to figure out a major difference between the Rogue and the Murano.
The Surprise Design of the Show: The 2013 Ford Escape. I'm happy that they followed the design of the Ford Explorer, and applied it to the former fugly Ford Escape. It looks better than the previous designs, but I would still rather the Edge over the Escape.
Autoblog.com hit the nail on the head when they said that "the new Escape looks like a super-sized Focus."
My pick for the Concept Car and I have my fingers crossed for it to make it to production... The Jaguar C-X16 Concept. If it does make it to the production line, it would be a hybrid with 468 horsepower and 505 lb-ft torque, which is good for a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. Impressive...
However, Land Rover needs to go back to the drawing board for that DC100 Concept. Sorry, but that thing is ugly. You can't even defend it by saying "it was the angle that was photo was taken". Sadly, that angle above was the most flattering angle and that's not saying much... AT All. Motor Trend said that the DC100 was one of the cars that was under a sheet, well, Land Rover should have left the sheet over it.
At first glance, I said "Oh, a Lotus", but apparently this is a Mastretta MXT, built on the same platform as a Lotus. When you look at this car, you automatically assume that it's a fast car, well think again. The specs read as follows, The current powertrain is a 2.0-liter turbocharged affair, good for
247 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 257 pound-feet of torque peaking at 3,950 rpm. I get more horsepower out of my Envoy. Nuff said.
Of course, Dub Magazine wasn't too far behind and they had their area as well... I'm not going to say much about their photos because most of those cars were at SEMA and plus it's obvious that they used photoshop because they used the "Sharpen" tool a little too much...
(This is NOT Justin Beiber's car)
(The Escalade from Long Island that I saw at SEMA)
(We all know they were going to come)
God I love looking at great looking cars. Is that a legitimate job title "Person who looks at hot cars?" That sounds as busy as "Famous for doing nothing". I meant it when I said that the LA Lakers aren't doing anything, because you and I both know that the New York Yankees will be back to work long before the Lakers.
P.S. Chrysler was kind of quiet at this show... Other than the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket, the Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, and the Fiat 500 Abarth. And those three cars were just special editions.
