2012 Los Angeles Auto Show Preview

by Derek Kreindler

Published: November 26th, 2012

The 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show is upon us, and as usual, TTAC will have photographers in the field, complete with live shots of all the new debuts, while we provide anger-tinged appraisals of all the new debuts. Press days don’t start for another couple of days, but we’ve got a rundown of what to expect after the jump.

Acura: The beak brand will debut their new flagship luxury sedan, the RLX. Having already seen a rendering of the production car, I’d advise you all to brace yourself for an avalanche of conservative styling. The base front-wheel drive car will get a sophisticated four-wheel steering system, while the top-spec model will get the much touted Sport Hybrid AWD system.

Audi: The big news here is the proliferation of diesels. Four of them. The Q5, A6, A7 and A8 will get Audi’s new twin-turbo V6 diesel, joining the Q7 as part of Audi’s TDI lineup. What about the A4?

BMW: A coupe version of the i3 concept will be displayed.

Chevrolet: An EV version of the Spark will be unveiled – performance should be brisk, with a 0-60 time of under 8 seconds, but the car will only be sold in California for now, ostensibly due to compliance issues.

Chrysler/Fiat: The big story at Chrysler is actually Fiat; the 500 EV and a convertible version of the 500 Abarth will bow. The 500L, a four-door pseudo-crossover based on the 500, will add some depth to Fiat’s lineup in the USA.

Ford: The already unveiled Transit Connect Wagon will be shown in public, and a Fiesta ST is all but confirmed. The baby ST should get its motivation from the 1.6L Ecoboost used in the Fusion and Escape.

Honda: The sort-of newly restyled 2013 Civic will be presented by Honda to atone for their deadly sin, the 2012 Civic. We’ve seen the exterior revamp already, but the interior is still the big question mark.

Hyundai: An unnamed concept is set to be shown.

Jaguar: The XFR-S will borrow the 550 horsepower supercharged V8 from the XKR-S and transplant it into the dated but still charming XF.

Kia: An all-new Forte, including a coupe and hatchback will debut.

Mercedes-Benz: A concept vehicle depicting the G-Class in the year 2025 will be shown alongside the SLS Black Series.

MINI: The Clubvan commercial vehicle will be revealed, as well as the Paceman two-door crossover.

Porsche: The slow-selling Cayman will be replaced by…an all-new Cayman that looks a lot like the Boxster, and even uses the same powertrains. Who would have guessed?

Subaru: The 2014 Forester is the big news here. The next-generation 2.0L turbocharged Boxer will be available, but only mated to a CVT gearbox.

Toyota: The RAV4 and it’s famous 4-speed automatic will die a quiet death, replaced by an all-new version. We’ll get our first look on Wednesday.

Volkswagen: The ragtop version of the new Beetle will be unveiled.

Derek Kreindler

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2 of 18 comments

Dave M. on Nov 26, 2012

"Of all the cars you mentioned the only one that even remotely interested me was the Forester…until you said no manual : (" I believe the base model will still have the manual...

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KalapanaBlack on Nov 27, 2012

I believe the G-wagen concept has already been shown in pictures. It's... eh. It's somebody's dream. I am 99% sure I saw a new Forte sedan on the highway over the Thanksgiving holiday. I believe I was heading north on I79 through West Virginia when I saw it, but I'm not 100% sure on the location. It was between Allentown, PA, and Charleston, WV. It caught my eye as a very bloated looking Rio. I got a decent look at it, but it was heading in the opposite direction on a divided interstate highway. Looked just like the already released pictures. No camo or anything. Not sure what it was doing in the wild. I just assumed they were already on sale.

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