The slow evolution of the tech-centric LA Auto Show
What we loved, what we hated, and what the future looks like for the SoCal car event.
The LA Auto Show billed itself as the place where established automakers and enthusiastic startups would come together to show off the latest technological achievements in the world of cars. It even rebranded as "AutoMobility," combining the traditional show and connected car event into one.
Jaguar unveiled the I-Pace, Chrysler showed off the first hybrid minivan, and Mini finally got into the hybrid game. But the majority of announcements were about regular old cars and trucks. Which is fine, but there are other car shows for that. So, while there might not have been a stack of tech-heavy cars at this year's event, we did at least get a hint of our connected auto future.
It's worth remembering that automakers take between three and five years to bring a new car to market. Sure, some like Ford and GM are moving quickly into this new semi-autonomous world while Audi, Mercedes and BMW have been whittling away at self driving for years, but it takes time to move an industry this big to announcing all its tech here in LA.
So, expect more tech next year, and even more the year after that. And if the auto industry sees the value in introducing its newest electric vehicle or semi-autonomous feature under a warm fall Southern California sky, the LA Auto Show should become the data in the automotive year that pushes cars into the future.
