Next week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, manufacturers will introduce more than 50 brand-new vehicles to the car-buying public.
Bentley, Bugatti, Ferrari, McLaren, and Rolls-Royce are skipping the show altogether in favor of targeted driving and VIP events—an increasingly common decision by some of the world’s leading luxury brands. Aston Martin and Maserati, similarly, will wait until later shows to offer anything new.
But others, including Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and Porsche, will offer significant world debuts.
“The luxury brands are cautiously optimistic this year,” said Matt DeLorenzo, the managing editor at Kelley Blue Book. “The market has hit a plateau, with the luxury segment still locked in at 12 percent of the total market. But on the other hand, it’s a great time to be a luxury car buyer because the luxury market is full of options. The L.A. show is going to underscore that with plenty of new introductions.”
Big Luxury SUVs and Sedans Aren’t Going Away
Luxury automakers will primarily be showing large sedans, crossovers, and SUVs, the last of which makes sense considering the fact that the U.S. is the world’s largest SUV market. Much attention will go to Alfa Romeo, which will introduce its first SUV, the Stelvio, on Wednesday.
“The Stelvio is a big deal for Alfa Romeo if they really want to get a foothold and reestablish themselves here in the U.S.” DeLorenzo said. “That SUV is going to be a make-or-break vehicle for them.”
Details on the saccharine-sounding rig remain scarce other than the expectation that it will borrow its body design largely from the Giulia. Stelvio will compete against the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. It is expected to go on sale in early 2017.
More concretely, Land Rover will show the First Edition Dynamic version of its best-selling Discovery SUV. BMW will show a new X5 xDrive 40e as well as updated models throughout its SUV and sedan lineup. Mercedes-Benz will premiere an AMG E63 Sedan along with an unconfirmed new car from its top-end Mercedes-Maybach line. (Ahead of the show, Mercedes-Benz announced its new AMG GLE43 SUV, which will replace the GLE 400.)
One possible sleeper SUV that could garner some hype for its good looks is the Infiniti QX Sport Inspiration Concept. Infiniti has released little information about the car, but preliminary images show that it has the gently rounded hood and sharp side angles of a futuristic luxury carriage.
Among domestic makers, Cadillac will bring the 2017 Escalade SUV and the enormous Escala concept sedan it showed briefly in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The Escala, which takes its name from the Spanish word for “scale,” comes with a 4.0-liter V8 engine and an interior lined in wood and aluminum. Buick will show its new Cascada Convertible, Encore, Envision, and LaCrosse.