LA Auto Show

I've attended the auto show pretty much every year since I was a kid. As a lifelong car enthusiast, it's great to be able to walk around and scrutinize every car without the car salesman vultures hovering over you, wanting to know "what will it take to get you in this car today?"

This year felt different. After all, not only is the economy in the toilet, but so is the auto industry, and in a very big way. With the Big 3 (we need a new name for them because they aren't exactly big anymore) on life support, I wanted to get a sense of how the mood was this year. So .. here are some "random thoughts" from the LA Auto Show.

- Considering I was there on opening day, the attendance was down substantially. Even in the one smaller room with Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, etc. where it's almost impossible to move, there was plenty of elbow room in there. And, something just felt strange looking at a $430,255 Rolls Royce these days.

- The displays were more like regular trade show displays. Not many were flashy. While Mercedes had a display, it lacked the pizazz of earlier years. No technological highlights. Just the cars, for the most part.

- Toyota had what felt like the largest display. And, if you add Lexus and Scion in the mix, it felt like it took up almost half of the main hall. A lot was focused on hybrids. Scion is cool. Their display is very "hip" as is their marketing strategy. Why can't the domestic makers do this kind of thing? Toyota is what GM was and should have become. A car in every price range, for every niche, and it's the best car in it's class. Look at a Toyota Corolla. Better built and "feels" better than a Buick costing 3 times as much.

- Buick was depressing. Kinda funny to see one of those models tout the features of their "newest" SUV or crossover, or whatever the hell they call them now.... since the car has been out for at least 2 years already. There were maybe 3 people watching her, and less than 10 in the whole display. Why is GM dead? Just take a look at Buick ... there is no reason for that division.

- Interesting seeing Smart next to Hummer. (not dignifying with a link). Hummer had a very small display and man... you've gotta be one helluva salesman to move one of those beasts these days.

- Pontiac G8 is a neat car, and the G8 GXP is a monster.. Corvette engine. But, it was up on a turntable by itself. You had no way of getting close to the car.

- Every GM division's display was pretty standard-fare. Even Cadillac, the "star" of GM, had the CTS-V off by itself and locked. Makes no sense.

- Ford is offering a $50 MasterCard debit card to anyone who wants to come in and test-drive a car. If I accept it, and they get the loan they are looking for, am I essentially paying myself? How come Toyota and Honda don't have to resort to paying people to test drive? Ford was touting the Fusion Hybrid. Sit inside one. Better than the old Taurus, but the thing still has that rental car feel. Now go sit inside an Accord or Camry. Game over.

- Honda had a really cool concept sports-car and their new Prius-fighter hybrid. Better looking than Prius, and knowing Honda, will be more driver-oriented. Should be a winner.

- Acura is weird. I still love the original Legend and Coupe from 1988, but it seems that while Lexus and Infiniti have carved out their niche and identity, Acura hasn't. One thing really holding them back is no V8. The TL is their bread-and-butter car. Have you seen the new one? Holy shit... it's got to be of the ugliest cars i've seen in a long time. Honda is known as being very conservative, but they went to the extreme in the other direction with this car. Take a look at the front and back end.

- A lot of interest in the new BMW 7-series. Big improvements inside, but the exterior is still rather austere. The M3 may have the best steering wheel I've ever felt in a production car.

- I love Audi. It may be the one company where I really like every model they put out. Sat in an A8L. Wow. Not as fluid as a Mercedes, but really well-done. Love Audi styling.

- The Infiniti G37 convertible is gorgeous. (In full disclosure, I drive an Infiniti). What got me is how it looks with the top up ... it looks better than the coupe because the rear side window is more rounded on the convertible, and gives it a more classic coupe look. I'm not a big convertible guy in terms of wanting to own one as a daily driver, but I'd consider one of those.

- Matthew liked the VW CC, which is sort of a poor man's Mercedes CLS. Very nicely done inside, and the styling is really pretty. Pretty? Yeah... the CLS and the CC are feminine-looking cars. Poor VW though... great cars, but since the Japanese arrived, they have never been able to compete. Note to VW ... on that shark-tail antenna thing on the roof... make it body-color like everyone else. Seeing it in black on a white car just doesn't work.

- The star of the show? Ferrari California? Nope... it's the Hyundai Genesis! Huh? Yeah.... remember back in the early 90's when the Lexus LS400 came out, and people were wondering if you'd spend $38K on a Toyota? Well, Hyundai is going to get you to wonder why you'd spend $65K on a Lexus when you can have a V8, nice conservative styling, great quality, loaded to the gills... all for $41K. Yeah it's a Hyundai. Not a Bimmer or Benz. Or even a Lexus or Infiniti. Get over it. I've seen a few on the freeway and it looks and feels better in person.

- Then of course downstairs are all of the guys selling wheels, conversions, toys, books, cleansers, and all other types of assorted shit. Several empty booths this year. More guys selling model cars... although they all had pretty much the same selection.

It was a fun show, and great going with Matthew. We were there for at least 6 hours, and he loves getting into and checking out all of the car's features. Walking through one of the halls, he asked if I wanted to see Chrysler. I said under my breath that next year, there might not be a Chrysler anymore. We did walk through their display to get to the next hall, and there was a sticker on each car that said "Wi-fi". Does each model have wifi? How about making a bigger deal about it. Lame. Until next year ... will be interesting to see how the industry will change over the next 12 months.

If you went to an auto show or are into cars, post a comment and let me know what you think.