The LA auto show prides itself on rolling out a flock of firsts every winter and the 2012 event kept up the record in spades.
More electric cars were released than ever before, at any 2012 international or local show. Plug-in cars stole the limelight-not a surprise in the Golden State’s clean-air fixation.
Whether for disinterest and the E-car evolution, or because of the profitlessness of E-cars “going forward,” not a few auto giants spurned the chance to join the rising number of E-car makers at the LA Coliseum.
Plenty of space was devoted to the electrics, a nod to the growing momentum of battery-driven vehicles.
Crowds were enthused at the E-car stands by the modernistic E-car displays. Those without E-cars fielded questions as to why such neglect of the new era.
Thus, the E-car era was given a boost at LA which will resonate from here on.
Econocars with electric batteries highlighted at the show included the Chevy Volt, Prius e, Scion iQ, Chevy Spark, Nissan Leaf, Ford Fusion, and Chrysler’s first gas-free entry-partner, Fiat’s 500e.
BLOG-E-cars were absent from the VW and Audi exhibits, but will appear at he 2013 LA show, as will the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio (BLTN) “Better Late Than Never”).BLOG-For better or not, the state of California assigns quotes of electric cars to be sold in the Golden State (by 2015, Toyota has to sell 2,100-a fraction of Toyota’s 240,000 total vehicles in 2011.)
The sales are lean and losses steep. E-car buzz generated at LA can’t keep the E-car era from growing quick time!
