LA Auto Show

[Kataphn]

Went to the auto show today. Boy, it seems like every maker has at least a hybrid or all electric to offer. At Mitsubishi, I did take a look at the all electric. Not good for someone like me, 6'3". Seats remind me of very early Honda Civics. Skimpy to say the least. Headroom was OK but forget it for the legroom or seat comfort for tall ones like me. I was impressed by the display of an Eaton company L3 charging dock there. Boy, that nozzle (or whatever we will call it) for the L3 is heavy! I will need 2 hands for sure. At Nissan, there was a LEAF but no one could touch it or sit in it. This was because it was a "preproduction model" per the spokesmodel. Okay....... :roll: They had the doors open so you could look inside and were obliging about lifting the hood and trunk for a look see. I have done 3 test drives so I am good for that but wanted to show friends. Nissan gave out some weird black bracelet with a small metal Nissan LEAF emblem. Of course, does not fit my 6'3" person wrist! Petite I am not! Not sure who the audience was for these were since mostly men were at auto show by my observation. Not that men don't wear bracelets...just saying! Wish they had offered a hat or T shirt :lol: In summary, was glad I chose the LEAF. At least I fit in it!

 

[Boomer23]

Thanks for the post, Kat. I'm going Monday, in the rain. :x

Were there any EVSE suppliers there besides Eaton? Did you happen to look for EVSEs at the "aftermarket hall", usually downstairs?

Looking forward to seeing the Fiat 500 BEV and some of the concepts.

By the way, if any of you have SCE for your utility, they may have emailed you a free admission ticket! Check your spam folders.

 

[Kataphn]

No, did not look at after market area. Mitsubishi had the 2 charging docks right next to their EV. One was L2 and one was L3, both by Eaton. There was no Eaton representative there.

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

Typical Nissan.

On Twitter:

@NissanLEAF Nissan LEAF
Have questions about the Production Nissan LEAF being unveiled today at the #LAAS? We'll answer them here: http://bit.ly/9Gd2P1 #NissanLAAS

NissanLAAS’s Bio

Nissan Vehicles Being Unveiled at the LA Auto Show:
- Nissan Ellure Concept Sedan
- 2011 Nissan Quest
- 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
- Production 2011 Nissan LEAF
- 2012 Nissan GT-R Supercar

 

[ttweed]

Can't make it to the LA show, unfortunately. Could someone please ask Nissan if they are taking their display down to the San Diego show on Dec. 30th? Not all the manufacturers who go to LA also attend the SD show, unfortunately.

Thx,
TT

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

Just got back from the LA Auto Show.
Wow, what a weak showing, Nissan. Total suck.

One PRE-production Leaf (liars), on a pedestal surrounded by "don't touch" barrier in a crowded box in the corner of the show. Totally non-interactive, and no chance to experience the interior. All the money went to the Ellure hybrid display, obviously.

I have to say Chevy really trumped Nissan here. Volt had a massive display, complete with half a dozen XBox360 Kinect stations, cars on display, cutaway cars, info-displays, and cars you CAN SIT IN. If I didn't know better, I'd say Chevy was preparing to ship cars, while the Leaf is still a prototype never to see market.

Even Tango (bless their persistent heart), the Wheego, and random other me-too EVs had models you could sit in. (RAV4 EV was there, but also up out of reach.)

Inifiniti had the M35 Hybrid there on a turntable, and welcomed folks to sit, adjust, try the interior features, and so on. THAT's how you build excitement.

Yeah, I'm a little flustered because I was told there would be Production Leaf there (by Nissan, in three different marketing channels), to see what the fit & finish is like. Instead it was clear they figured "Hey, we already sold out of 2011, so rope off one of the Tour leafs and call it done."

I'm also a little tweaked that the Volt interior was really nice. Modern, leather, tight bolstering, sporty and creative graphics. It felt "premium" compared to the cheap eco-recycled-plastic Leaf. At least, as far as I can remember the Leaf, since I wasn't allowed to see it side-by-side with other cars.

So -- if you're going to the LA Auto show, make sure it's to see cars other than Nissan's, since they blew it.

 

[Boomer23]

Just got back from the LA Auto Show.
Wow, what a weak showing, Nissan. Total suck.

I have to agree about Nissan not having one of the Drive Tour cars to sit in and play with. Lots of folks are going to be disappointed by that, especially at a hugely important show like the LA show, right in the middle of one of their launch markets.

Regarding the Volt interior, I've driven both the LEAF and the Volt, and I do have to agree about the comparison of the materials and fit and finish. The Volt's leather seats and steering wheel were seductive and I did find myself second-guessing my choice for an INSTANT. Then I remembered, Oh Yeah, 40 miles EV range and then a sucky 35 mpg, way complex drivetrain, less interior space, no California $5K rebate, no carpool lane sticker, Chevy Dealer price markups, heavier than a LEAF, on and on. All that being said, if the LEAF weren't available, I'd probably be all over the Volt lease.

 

[mwalsh]

I was at Nissan's press conference on Wednesday, the LEAF got only an honorary mention in Carlos Tavares’ speech and was almost completely overshadowed by debuts of the Nissan Ellure hybrid concept; Murano CrossCabriolet, and Quest minivan. It was almost like..."OK, so we've got this LEAF thing over here, and that's good. But check out this other really cool stuff we're doing". But, I suppose, they've got to start exciting people with other product, since the LEAF supply for the immediate future is all but sold.

As for the Volt, from a first drive standpoint I did find the center stack too cluttered, buttons and switches that were neither where I thought they should be nor in a form expected, and I definitely thought there too much information being shared via the instrument panel. But the performance was good, I appreciated the leather seating surfaces in my test vehicle (I’m green, but I still like leather), and I even came to a better appreciation of the four-person seating after noticing several high-end manufacturers with the same configuration even though they didn’t have to make room for a battery pack.

If the Volt was all EV...maybe. And a strong maybe at that.

Story up on nissan-leaf.net:

http://nissan-leaf.net/2010/11/21/weekend-roundup-special-edition-la-auto-show-there-is-a-greening-in-la-this-winter/

 

[Jay]

I was at Nissan's press conference on Wednesday, the Volt got only an honorary mention in Carlos Tavares’ speech, but was almost completely overshadowed by debuts of the Nissan Ellure hybrid concept; Murano CrossCabriolet, and Quest minivan. It was almost like..."OK, so we've got this LEAF thing over here, and that's good. But check out this other really cool stuff we're doing". But, I suppose, they've got to start exciting people with other product, since the LEAF supply for the immediate future is all but sold.

As for the Volt, from a first drive standpoint I did find the center stack too cluttered, buttons and switches that were neither where I thought they should be nor in a form expected, and I definitely thought there too much information being shared via the instrument panel. But the performance was good, I appreciated the leather seating surfaces in my test vehicle (I’m green, but I still like leather), and I even came to a better appreciation of the four-person seating after noticing several high-end manufacturers with the same configuration even though they didn’t have to make room for a battery pack.

If the Volt was all EV...maybe. And a strong maybe at that.

Story up on nissan-leaf.net:

http://nissan-leaf.net/2010/11/21/weekend-roundup-special-edition-la-auto-show-there-is-a-greening-in-la-this-winter/

Thanks for hitting up the press days and writing that recap piece Michael...a really nice read.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I think the interior design of the Volt is really bad but the quality trumps the Leaf by a long shot, the interior fabric of the Leaf is very poor in my opinion and I buy many new cars of all price points, I think a $12K Yaris I owned had superior looking seat and carpet interior and the quality was better. It's the most budget feeling interior and fabric and they are trying to make it look soft and it ends up looking low grade, auto makers are departing form these fabrics. This is one area I wish they used better or even other materials, even the floor mats look thin and cheap and they have white stitching of the Leaf logo right where dirt will be ground in. If I had a choice of new fabric and some other minor changes I would certainly wait a bit longer, Nisan should have sent surveys out earlier but it seems they are getting the idea on what they need to change. They also could have sold crazy numbers of heated seat options for $300 all day long.

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

I'm not sure what market these Concept cars address, but I'm over them.
Some one-off design house masterpiece that probably can't roll itself onto the dais.

IF it makes it to production five years later, it has the same name, and some of the lines, but it's mostly a warmed over Solara or Malibu. Case in point: Volt. Man, that was a sweet concept car.

I go to auto shows to see the cars that I can't see at my local dealership: Cars in the next model year, nearing production. Top-model BMW and Mercedes cars that are too expensive/rare for a dealer to stock. Supercars.

But these "concept" games are like looking at the Engineering Design School models out front. Neato, but useful only for inspiration.

Lexus LFA drew a crowd so thick I never even saw the thing. Yow.

The Camry got more attention than the Nissan Leaf. Maybe because you could, you know, touch it.

 

[Boomer23]

Story up on nissan-leaf.net:

http://nissan-leaf.net/2010/11/21/weekend-roundup-special-edition-la-auto-show-there-is-a-greening-in-la-this-winter/

Very nice show review article for us EV freaks, Michael. Congrats on getting into the blogging world as well.

 

[Boomer23]

I attended the LA Auto Show on Monday, Nov 22.
I have a few additional tidbits and some pictures that you might find interesting. I'll try to only add items that mwalsh didn't touch on in his comprehensive report on nissan-leaf.net.

First, for those of you wondering whether EVSE suppliers would have displays and reps there, the answer is NO. Even downstairs in the after-market and mass market bazaar of Kentia Hall, there were no EVSE suppliers there.
Also, Southern Cal Edison has a large booth on the stairway lobby OUTSIDE the West exhibit hall. Worth a stop to talk with quite knowledgeable SCE analysts and supervisors.
Now for the tidbits:

Honda: showcased their handheld remote which, (at an unspecified but close range) would display State of Charge, driving range in miles and allow starting and stopping charging and pre-heat/cool functions for their Fit EV. This would be in addition to apps on smart phones for the same functions.

They also showed a concept (really just a lucite mockup of a car chassis) of a plug-in hybrid that they said they would introduce in 2012 with about 15 miles of EV-only range.

My impression of Honda was very much that they are playing "Me Too" with Nissan and Toyota, and late to the game at that. I am impressed that they do seem to be considering Sport modes for their EVs though, for better acceleration and response at times.

Nissan: Here is the only LEAF at the show, very much in captivity. They were handing out somewhat cheesy LEAF bracelets made of recycled tires and car metal. I did grab a handful for fellow LEAFers, though.

Here are some more shots of the Ellure Concept:

A couple of shots of the Infiniti Essence Concept. I hope that a few of its lines make it into the Infiniti EV

Fisker: Had one car on display. It looked pretty production ready, but since deposit holders were there that day to sit in it and to option their own cars, they wouldn't let anyone else close to it.

I do think that Fisker is taking the use of sex appeal at bit far in using this image in their advertising.

Euromasters: a small manufacturer, they showed a Porsche Speedster EV Replica. About $45,000 before the $7500 Fed incentive. They claim over 200 miles range, 0-60 in 5.6 seconds and a 5 year warranty. Plugs in to 110 V or 240 V with a regular plug, no EVSE required. And it has a 4 speed transmission. Euromasters is located in Fountain Valley, CA and they said I could drive this exact car there by appointment.

I sat in the car. It was quite a maneuver to climb in or out of it, since it was low and has wide door sills and little bodywork to grab onto. Inside it is roomy, with tight confines for your feet on the pedals, and pretty bare bones, like the original Porsche. I got excited at first, then calmed down about this replicar.

That's about it for tidbits. Here is a link to more pictures on my Flickr album for the show. http://www.flickr.com/photos/71336612@N00/sets/72157625454896384/