California alone represents one of the single biggest market for automakers worldwide, so its annual auto show held in Los Angeles always manages to draw in the big names, along with numerous world debuts.
In fact, for this year's show, which runs November 28 to December 9 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, organizers have already confirmed at least 30 world debuts are scheduled to take place, including a new generation of the Porsche 911, a Jeep pickup truck, a Tesla rival's first two products, and Lincoln's highly anticipated revival of its Aviator nameplate.
As usual, the Motor Authority team will be bringing you all the latest info and photos direct from the show floor once the action gets underway. In the meantime, here's our hand-picked list of some of the known attractions, as well as what we know so far about them. And don't forget, you can always access the latest information from the show via our dedicated hub or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
2020 Porsche 911 development drives
2020 Porsche 911: Porsche is one of the hottest brands right now, and the 911 is its star. Thus, the reveal of a new generation of the iconic sports car is always a show-stopping experience. In L.A., we'll see and learn all of the details of the new model. Referred to internally as the 992, the car represents the 911's eighth generation, and its arrival comes 55 years after the original, badged a 901, was rolled out in prototype form at the 1963 Frankfurt auto show.
Teaser for Audi e-tron GT
Audi e-tron GT concept: Audi Sport in March confirmed plans for a high-performance electric sedan, which it referred to as the e-tron Gran Turismo, or e-tron GT for short. In L.A., a thinly veiled concept of the car will be presented for the first time. It is expected to be a sleek, four-door coupe closely related to Porsche's upcoming Taycan, but the Audi is expected to be the more potent of the two, meaning its output could exceed 600 horsepower.
2019 BMW X7
2019 BMW X7: Naturally at an American auto show, there will also be family-oriented crossovers galore. One of them will be BMW's new X7. The X7 is a full-size luxury crossover SUV combining seating for seven (or six if you choose captain's chairs for the second row) with BMW's renowned vehicle dynamics. How does it compare, in terms of size, with some of its competition? The length measures in at 203.3 inches, which is about an inch longer than the Mercedes-Benz GLS but almost seven inches shorter than the standard length Lincoln Navigator.
Lincoln Aviator Teaser
2020 Lincoln Aviator: Lincoln is almost ready to show us its revived Aviator. The mid-size crossover has been developed alongside a redesigned Ford Explorer and was previewed earlier this year by a prototype. Lincoln hasn't treated us with many details yet but we know the new Aviator will come with a twin-turbocharged engine that will likely be available with a plug-in hybrid option. Lincoln also boasts that the crossover will feature warning chimes recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
2020 Hyundai Palisade spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
2020 Hyundai Palisade: Hyundai will use the show to unveil a full-size crossover the automaker is calling the Palisade. It will be gargantuan, offering seating for eight along with features normally found on luxury vehicles, such as premium cabin materials and advanced safety technologies. Underpinning the vehicle is a new front-wheel-drive platform with transverse engine mounting and all-wheel-drive capability. Expect a V-6 as the standard powertrain and potentially a hybrid option at some point.
2020 Jeep Gladiator leaked via Jeep Gladiator Forum
2020 Jeep Gladiator: Jeep is finally ready to reveal a pickup truck, which we can confirm is based on the Wrangler. It will be called a Gladiator, and photos of the mid-size truck have already surfaced on enthusiast forums. In case you were wondering, Gladiator is a name that has appeared on a Jeep pickup in the past, originally on a full-size truck launched in the 1960s and based on the Jeep Wagoneer. The name later reappeared on a Wrangler pickup concept that debuted in 2005.
Rivian R1T electric pickup concept
Rivian R1T: The Gladiator won't be the only American-made pickup truck making its debut in L.A. Electric car startup Rivian will present a mid-size pickup offering 750 hp and a battery with up to 180 kilowatt-hours of capacity, or enough for more than 400 miles of range on a single charge. A seven-seat SUV variant is pegged for a debut at the show.
2019 Honda Passport teaser
2019 Honda Passport: Remember the Honda Passport of the 1990s? Well, it's making a comeback for 2019. The modern Passport won't share any Isuzu DNA like its predecessor. Instead, it will be a mid-size crossover sharing some mechanicals with the larger Pilot. But while it may be one of the most capable off-roaders in Honda's lineup, don't expect to go diving through mud or crawling over boulders with it.
2019 Mazda 3 hatchback spy shots - Image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
2019 Mazda 3: A redesigned Mazda 3 is set to debut in L.A. The big news is the introduction of Mazda's new SkyActiv-X engine which promises diesel-like fuel economy but with the cleaner emissions of gas engines. The innovation is to ignite a very small amount of gas-air mixture that is injected very close to the spark plug in a high-compression engine. This in turn raises the pressure on a much larger volume of lean—and thus efficient—gas-air mixture in the rest of the combustion chamber, creating an effective compression ratio high enough to cause that mixture to spontaneously ignite.
That’s it for now but at any time you’ll be able to access the latest information from the 2018 Los Angeles auto show via our dedicated hub.
