L.A. Means Green
The fact that Cadillac won’t put an all-electric or autonomous powertrain in the Escala is surprising given how much hype those two drivetrains typically receive in L.A. press and popular coverage.

What’s more, the show this year has gone so far as to recast itself as an “auto mobility” show, with the first days of the event featuring seminars and panel discussions on such future transportation issues as autonomous driving, car sharing, and the connected car. The pivot is a way for the L.A. event to compete with the increasingly popular Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which automakers attend with increasing fervor. But analysts have pointed out a potential conflict with that shift: The purpose of an auto show is primarily to promote cars consumers can buy in the near, rather than distant, future.

“Autonomous driving cars are not here yet, that’s the problem,” DeLorenzo said. “Their hype looms rather large. The purpose of an auto show is to sell cars. You can buy cars with semi-autonomous features, but a full hands-free, drive-me-home-type car is still far away.”

Maybe that’s why Tesla has said it will not bring its upcoming Model 3 plug-in electric sedan to the show.

Still, buyers looking for green(er) vehicles have plenty to choose from.

Cadillac will show the CT6 PHEV, an all-new, rear-wheel electric car producing total system power of 250kW (equivalent to 335 horsepower) and 586 newton metro (roughly 432 pound-feet) of torque. Porsche will add an AWD Panamera Hybrid (priced a bit less than $100,000) to its sedan line, plus two newly efficient engine variants and a host of now-standard creature comforts.

Elsewhere, BMW Group’s MINI will give the world premier MINI Countryman with a plug-in hybrid option. The BMW brand will also offer a BMW 740e xDrive sedan, BMW 330e, and a massively updated BMW i8 super electric car. 

Leave Time for Supercars
BMW won’t be the only one to show a new halo car of sorts. Jaguar will also be announcing a totally new halo car at a swanky party before the show, along with showing a $1.4 million Classic XKSS at a separate, off-site event later in the week. Jaguar had announced earlier this year that it would indeed resurrect the classic XKSS, which was originally a two-seat D-Type that won Le Mans three years in a row from 1955 to 1957. The curved work of art is widely considered the world’s first supercar.

Mercedes will deepen its impressive lineup here with previews of the blisteringly fast AMG GT line: Spots with an AMG GT C Roadster, AMG GT Roadster, and AMG GT R are all planned. What it won’t have, Mercedes executives say, is that rumored pickup truck: “While a pickup is under consideration for the U.S. market at some point, no timeline is available for a decision to be made,” a spokesman said in an e-mail earlier this week.

Along with an A5 Cabriolet, Audi will have a special collector's edition R8 V10 supercar that comes with laser lights.