California is the mecca of the automobile. And though the Los Angeles Auto Show is not the biggest of its kind in the U.S., it’s still more than relevant and always features its share of surprises.
For those who reasonably assumed that a show held in “green” California would showcase myriad electric vehicles, you were wrong. The event actually featured a seemingly endless parade of utility models of all different sizes. Of the few electric vehicles that were on hand, most of them were… SUVs or trucks. Fortunately there were some fine exceptions to this trend. Here’s what most grabbed my interest, curiosity and admiration at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Porsche 911
The 2020 model-year marks the debut of the eighth generation of the Porsche 911, which can most accurately be described as an evolution of the model. At the LA show Porsche showed the S versions with two- and four-wheel drive. Back is a 3.0L V6 turbo engine with an output of 443 hp, or 23 more than the outgoing 911. This unit takes the car from a stop to 100 km/h in only 3.5 seconds and up to a top speed of 306 km/h.
The starting price for the 2020 911 Carrera S is $129,000; for the 911 Carrera 4S it’s an even heftier $137,400. The models can be ordered as of now, though delivery in Canada won’t start before fall 2019. Initial versions will function with a new 8-speed PDK transmission (instead of 7 as before). The manual-transmission version will debut a little later.
Its styling is still very much that of the 911 as we know it except that it’s a bit more imposing with its asymmetrical tires front and back (20-inch and 21-inch, respectively).
