The Best Of The LA Auto Show 2024 (And The Trends You Might’ve Missed)

Every year, after walking the floor of the Los Angeles Auto Show once, I take a second lap to see if there’s anything I missed. Then, after lunch, I take a third lap to get a closer look at any cars that were surrounded by crowds earlier in the day. On Media Day, when the cars launch, the morning is always busy; as the crowd thins out in the afternoon, there’s a chance to double-check each automaker’s booth and ensure that there’s nothing I’ve missed.

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Not only does this give me plenty of time to stretch my legs, but it’s also a great way to get a sense of the cars in a larger context. It’s a chance to do a sanity check on my favorite vehicles from the show, search for themes and pop in and out of any vehicles that have debuted once the mania surrounding them has died down. This year, there was a lot to see, if you knew where to look. Many of the typical brands were absent or had reduced presence, but there were lots of exciting cars both in production and concept form. 

I thought this thing was a really fun concept when I saw the photos from SEMA, but in person, it’s even better. The concept is essentially a 4Runner SUV with the top cut off, meant to fit right in at any Southern-California surf spot. After chopping the roof and making the 4Runner into a two-door pickup of sorts, Toyota added some off-road bits, custom paint, and a few surf boards for good measure. 

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Travis Langness/Read

Officially called the 4Runner TRD Surf Concept (or just TRD Surf for short), the customization work appears to be high-quality and the massive tires give it excellent proportions. I love the way it looks in person and I hope that Toyota makes something to match this vibe. But even if they don’t, I’m sure that aftermarket parts companies will sit up and notice just how popular the Surf Concept is, and eventually make a derivative version of their own.

I’ll admit it – the redesigned Dodge Charger redesign didn’t wow me at first. It looked plain, understated, and like it couldn’t live up to the legend that was set by the previous-generation Challenger. Seeing it in person for the first time though, has completely changed my mind. The design, apparent exterior build quality, and the lovely hue of deep red they used to paint it with, all struck me as excellent. 

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In person it feels smaller than it looks in pictures — a hard trick to pull off with the growing size of cars these days — and there are a number of design elements that stand out. The headlights and taillights that span the width of the Charger look well integrated (they seemed a bit gimmicky in photos) and the wheels seem perfectly sized for the car. Now that I’ve seen it in person, I’m excited to get behind the wheel of the new Charger as soon as possible.

Tucked away in the corner behind Subaru’s full array of crossovers and their large forest-like booth (always a highlight at shows) was a menacing four-door version of the WRX, wrapped in various shades of black and strutting its stuff, even at a stand-still. A big wing, big fenders, and big power – that’s what Subaru’s Project Midnight is all about. 

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Based on a Subaru WRX STI, Project Midnight is powered by a rallycross engine provided by Subaru Motorsports which makes it the “quickest and fastest” WRX ever. The 2.0-liter flat-four puts out 670 horsepower and 680 lb-ft of torque. That extra power goes to good use too, because it’s 1,000 pounds lighter than a standard WRX. Big canards, massive fender add-ons, aerodynamic holes and vents on nearly every body panel, a towering rear wing, and a giant front splitter all help the pumped-up WRX look the part of a mean rally car. But this is not just an impressive show car – it’s already started winning races – specifically the Velocity Hill Climb.

It’s hard not to swoon over the new Corvette ZR1, especially with its eye-watering array of numbers like 1,064 horsepower, 715 lb-ft of torque, and its top speed of 233 miles per hour. Even if there were just a standard ZR1 in a roped-off box at the auto show, I’d go in for a closer look. But Chevy thought better and brought out a cutaway of the ZR1’s new LT7 engine and a full cutaway of the car itself.

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Travis Langness/Read

With the engine cutaway, you get to see the inner workings of the big flat-plane crank V8, along with the locations of the turbochargers, and all the other interesting inner workings. With the full-car cutaway, you can spot all the heat exchangers, gasp at just how wide the tires are, and nerd out over the location and quality of the welds that hold the car together. I should know, I stood there looking at it for about 10 minutes. A cutaway engine is cool, but a cutaway car is a step above.

Sure, super-powered supercars are fun and all, but there’s a soft spot in my heart for plucky little runabouts. This particular plucky little runabout is called the Fiat Topolino (Italian for small mouse or Mickey Mouse). Based on the Citroën Ami, a small electric vehicle classified as a quadricycle in Europe, the Topolino would offer tiny, affordable in-town transportation if it came to the United States. And yes, you’re seeing it right – where the doors are supposed to be, there’s just those little VIP-style ropes.

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It has a small 5.4 kWh battery that provides as much as 46 miles of range with a top speed of 28 miles per hour — not enough to get on the highway, but certainly enough to kart around you and a passenger through gated communities or beachside parking lots. It’s not clear yet whether or not there’s enough demand to bring the Fiat to the US, but if it does show up on our shores, I’ll line up for a test drive as soon as possible.

The new, pumped-up version of Kia’s three-row EV debuted at the LA Auto Show this year, and it promises big performance from the family hauler. The new Kia EV9 GT (much like its smaller EV6 sibling) offers more power and performance than the standard model and some unique styling. The EV9 GT won’t arrive until 2026 but it will have 501 horsepower (up from 379 horsepower in the standard model), a zero to 60 mph time of just 4.3 seconds, and a standard NACS charging port. Essentially, it’s a hot-rod version of the EV9.

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Travis Langness/Read

It will also get what Kia calls “bright accents” throughout the interior – the ones that caught my eye were the contrasting piping and stitching on the seats. While the standard model comes in either six- or seven-passenger configurations, the GT will only come in a six-passenger configuration with second-row captain’s seats. With Alcantara inserts and GT logos in the headrests, these are definitely the best seats you can get in an EV9, even if you have to wait a while before they arrive.

The new Acura ADX was a hit at the LA Auto Show. Every time I walked by it, there was at least a small crowd, with onlookers praising its styling, its paint, and its premium feel. The ADX is based on the same platform as the current Acura Integra and it’s powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Acura hasn’t released power figures yet, but it will likely get around the same amount of power as the standard Integra – 200 horses.

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Like the Integra, we expect it to be sporty, engaging to drive, and reasonably priced for an entry-level luxury vehicle. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to get a manual transmission or the upgraded engine from the Integra Type S, though with more cargo space than the Integra and the option to upgrade to all-wheel drive, the ADX will probably appeal to a larger audience. On both the inside and the outside it feels premium and well-built. The styling, much like the looks of the Charger, is more impressive in person than it is in photos. And the options list? It’s full of appeal – including (but not limited to) a 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, a panoramic sunroof, and ventilated front seats.

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Volkswagen’s booth at the auto show this year included ride-along opportunities in the new ID. Buzz, so naturally, I went for a few laps around their tiny test track to get a taste for the interior and a feel for the ride. It was quiet, spritely, and generally comfortable – at least in the short time window I was allotted to ride in the back. I recommend taking a ride if you get a chance.

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All of the test vehicles that Volkswagen had inside the show karting media around however, were of the two-tone variety, sporting some sort of bright color on the lower half and a white upper half surrounding the window. It’s a color scheme that pays tribute to the old VW Bus, but it’s not my favorite. Instead, my favorite color scheme on the ID. Buzz was the all-black model I saw outside the show, likely transporting some media to-and-from the LA Convention Center. To my eyes, this color choice makes the ID. Buzz look sleeker, more like a Mercedes Sprinter even, up for the task of karting around executives to important meetings in comfort. I dig it.

If the LA Auto Show had a theme this year, that theme would likely be roof racks – or at least adventurously-outfitted vehicles. Just about every automaker had a version of one or more of their cars equipped with a roof rack and some sort of accessory. SUVs, trucks, and even sedans from brands like Subaru, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Nissan, Chevy, Volkswagen, and Ram were all on display with some sort of adventure upfitting. Kayaks, mountain bikes, rooftop tents, and extra storage boxes were some of the most common items.

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Travis Langness/Read

An entire section of the Auto Show is dedicated to Overlanding vehicles – it’s called the OVRland Outpost and it makes sense seeing upfitted trucks and SUVs there – but knobby tires and lift kits were everywhere I looked. For now, I’m embracing this trend as someone who loves cars, loves getting outdoors and loves combining the two, though it’s possible that we’ll all get adventure-car burnout at some point in the near future.