The highs and lows of the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show – TechCrunch

The LA Auto Present — one of many first indoor auto reveals to return for the reason that COVID outbreak — was gentle on information and heavier than traditional on vaporware. Nonetheless, there have been just a few autos, tech and firms that stood out in the course of the two press days main as much as the occasion.

Listed here are the autos and themes that bought our consideration, for higher or worse in Los Angeles this 12 months.

Shifting the narrative: inexperienced and clear

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On the main press conferences, which had been few and all earlier than midday on Wednesday, the theme of the day centered on sustainability and local weather change. It was a mixture of greenwashing and precise motion.

Hyundai and Kia confirmed video intros that highlighted how essential it’s to change into environmentally conscious, earlier than unveiling their all-electric idea automobiles and plug-in hybrids. Fisker talked about saving the ocean. Subaru, which has had a very long time dedication to inexperienced initiatives and invested fairly a bit of cash into supporting every thing from the nationwide parks to animal rescue, additionally highlighted their persevering with assist of environmental-friendliness.

Whereas this hasn’t been unusual up to now, it’s essential to notice that all the auto business has dragged its toes within the path to decrease emissions, innovate round sustainable manufacturing and sourcing, and discover methods to recycle and reuse components and autos which have come to the top of their usable lives. The dire warning that we’ve got simply 10 years to cut back the influence that people have on local weather change got here up at a number of press conferences on the present.

Hollywood mode

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One of many extra attention-grabbing reveals this 12 months was the near-production model of the Fisker Ocean, an all-electric SUV with a large 17.1-inch display that may rotate 90 levels to go from panorama or “Hollywood Mode” to vertical.

When in panorama, customers can play video games and watch movies when the Ocean is parked and charging. Fisker says that it’s patenting the swiveling display tech.

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Picture Credit: Kirsten Korosec

It’s electrical

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The general theme of this 12 months’s LA Auto Present was (not surprisingly) the electrification of every thing. Whereas there have been loads of ICE engined autos all around the ground, the large information got here within the type of battery energy.

Every little thing from the all-electric Nissan Ariya SUV and Toyota bz4x and its twin the Subaru Solterra to certainly one of our favorites, the ultimate variants of the all-electric Porsche Sport Turismo sedan and wagon with their magic roof.

Know-how that retains you from getting sick

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As we enter into the third 12 months of the continuing world pandemic, carmakers are more and more contemplating how you can maintain us from getting sick. Hyundai unveiled the SEVEN SUV idea on the LA Auto Present that provides options like vertical airflow, antibacterial copper, and even a UVC sterilizer.

The electrical restomods are coming

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One of many developments that stood out on the LA Auto Present this 12 months was a lot of older automobile our bodies on new electrical powertrains. Whereas they won’t provide the identical visceral expertise as an ICE engine does, they provide a brand new option to take pleasure in traditional autos.

Cobera an automotive begin up introduced a C300, which appeared loads like an old-school Shelby Cobra, to the present this 12 months, however as a substitute of a V8 engine underneath the hood, the C300 has an all-electric powertrain that the corporate says can take the C300 from 0-62 mph in 2.7 seconds. The Cobera C300 was designed and constructed by Composite-Tasks, a Hungarian firm that focuses on constructing autos and campers. When the automobile is switched on, an artificial sound emits from the automobile, which makes it sound solely just a little just like the outdated V8.

Electra Meccanica, an electrical automobile maker that additionally introduced it’s three-wheeled Solo automobiles to the LA Auto Present (extra on that under), confirmed off its eRoadster, a Porsche 356 Speedster trying electrical automobile, with up to date options like air con, energy home windows and locks, and a contemporary infotainment system.

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It wasn’t simply the small and comparatively unknown automakers who introduced out the restomods with new powertrains, both. Ford introduced it’s electrified F-100 that appeared at SEMA in early November. The 1978 F-100 Ford Eluminator electrical restomod options Ford’s E-crate motor that clients should purchase and put into their very own autos.

The F-100 will get a pair of electrical motors on the entrance and rear and Ford says that the automobile will get 480 horsepower and 635 ft-lbs of torque. Inside is a brand new and up to date infotainment system with a display and digital sprint too.

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Three wheels

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There are often at the least just a few three wheeled autos on the present, however this 12 months there have been greater than traditional. Biliti Electrical introduced their electrical and photo voltaic powered electrical tuk tuks that the corporate says may very well be used for last-mile supply by corporations like Amazon and Walmart in densely populated cities around the globe.

Their GMW Taskman is already in use in locations like Europe and Asia and the founder says that they’ve delivered greater than 12 million packages and logged greater than 20 million miles.

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Electra Meccanica additionally introduced it Solo autos, which the corporate unveiled again in 2016 to the present as properly, and was providing check drives throughout press days. The corporate says the small electrical automobiles can do as much as 100 miles on a cost, and makes 82 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque and it will possibly go as much as 80 mph. It’s a single seater, with cargo area and is designed for brief journeys or commutes round city. The Solo prices $18,500 and is inbuilt Mesa, Arizona.

Sondors additionally introduced it’s three-wheeled electrical automobile, which seats three folks and the corporate says it will get round 100 miles of vary. The EV was constructed after a profitable spherical of crowdfunding of greater than $1 million, and it comes with a 33 kWh battery pack, makes 170 horsepower and 323 lb-ft of torque.

Imperium additionally introduced it’s three-wheeled electrical automobile known as the Sagitta. The automobile is the most important of the three-wheeled passenger autos that made an look on the present, with sufficient area for as much as 4 folks. Sagitta didn’t have any specs on the automobile but, although they did say they had been taking reservations beginning in mid-2022.

Barbie

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Even Barbie had a second on the LA Auto present the place Mattel unveiled a lifesize model of the Barbie Additional automobile. Constructed on the chassis of a 2021 Fiat 500, the fiberglass physique bought a wild sparkly white paint, a pair of wings for doorways and a pet pool within the again.

Solar energy

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There have been just a few autos that featured some attention-grabbing photo voltaic charging choices on the present this 12 months. Chinese language power firm SPI and Phoenix Motor Inc. launched the EF1-T pickup truck on the LA Auto Present that confirmed off a retractable photo voltaic decide up mattress cowl that the corporate mentioned can add as a lot as 25 to 35 miles of vary to the automobile. Each the EF1-T and the van model, the EF1-V are big autos and clearly nonetheless prototypes as the corporate mentioned that its nonetheless taking “buyer enter,” on options and makes use of.

The corporate mentioned that the large bug-like trying EF1-T ought to get wherever from 380 to 450 miles of vary on a cost and the corporate is pre-selling the autos now for supply in 2025. That’s a great distance off in our ebook.