Car Culture, Future Tech, Gorgeous Design: What to see at the 2025 LA Auto Show
Our favorite season is alive and thrilling in LA: The annual auto show.
I just got back from the LA Auto Show and boy, are my feet tired. Seriously, I walked more than 6 miles in a single day to see everything: A restored VW Bus with a heart-wrenching story, a totally new, super adventurous Jeep, the newest Rivian off-roader, Kia’s redesigned Telluride, an off-road concept from Hyundai that peeks in to the brand’s future, the first performance car from Genesis dressed in the most delicious shade of orange you’ve ever seen, an even more luxe Lucid.
The car culture of Southern California is one of the highlights of life there, and what it sends our way is precious too. Here’s what we loved seeing at the LA Auto Show that’ll enrich your life no matter where you live.
Watch: Tour the LA Auto Show with us!
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
A Survivor of the LA Wildfires, Restored for Its Future
Last January when wildfires devastated the LA neighborhood of Pacific Palisades there was one wild survivor: A blue 1977 VW Bus named Azul. Sitting on the street appearing unharmed among the charred embers that used to be people’s homes, Azul was a stark image. “My phone blew up” with people sending images of the Bus said Rachael Zaluzec, head of experience and brand marketing at VW. The news was at once affirming, but also, concerning; Azul wasn’t totally unscathed; it had sustained damage that wasn’t apparent in the photo.
Not one to simply marvel at the image, Rachael and her team had to know more. What they discovered was a surprised but devastated owner, Megan Weinraub, and a Bus with a story: Megan bought it from her friend Preston who had cared for and retrofitted it; even his mom contributed to its outfitting. But much of the Bus was destroyed.
So the VW team got to work restoring and repairing Azul with new paint, new parts and new upholstery. Not everything had to be replaced, so the team cleaned what they could and restored or replaced the rest. Azul can be seen on the show floor along side its modern doppelgänger, the ID. Buzz in the same heritage blue paint.
Read: VW ID Buzz First Drive: This 3-row 7 Passenger *Bus* Means No More Boring Family Cars
A More Sustainable Future Is Ahead
While fires and floods can be devastating, being prepared and fighting the elements that drive those events are on deck at the LA Auto Show. EVs that enable us to climb hills with silent, emission-free power are everywhere.
Scout Motors, the revival brand that is redesigning modern off-roading has a huge exhibit just outside the convention center. Inside, California-based luxury EV maker Lucid Motors shows off its newest iteration of the Lucid Gravity SUV. And EV off-roader Rivian shows off its newest model, the smaller and more affordable and R2 SUV with an opening price tag of about $45,000, almost half of what the larger R1S costs when nicely loaded.
How Sustainability Happens Is Volvo’s Story
Volvo returns to the LA Auto Show with a large and engaging presence that tells the story of its materials, both sustainable and renewable, as well as how it builds a car that protects its occupants.
We love that Volvo is leaning into the idea of showing what they are made of and that makes us love this brand even more. Yes, the super cute EX30 is charming and the family staple XC90 is where precious memories are made. But knowing that Volvo’s designers use materials from the earth and forest, palettes inspired by the woods and sky, and components derived from castoffs is pause for thought. And seeing the steel and aluminum frame of a Volvo color-coded to illustrate where its strength lies adds trust to the love.
See the Newest Jeep: Recon
Over in the South Hall is the newest member of the Jeep family, the all-electric Recon, an open-air Jeep-hair-don’t-care SUV designed to go the distance and let you live the life. Yes, it’s big and boxy and capable but it’s not simply an electrified Wrangler. The Recon has more luxuries, more modern design and more cargo space, making it the uber-Wrangler that can do one more fantastic thing: bypass the filling station.
The Kia Telluride Before Is Again the Hottest Thing on Wheels
Kia set the world on fire with the Telluride a few years ago and it’s about to do it again with the Telluride 2.0. After an all-encompassing redesign that adds more modern details and features, as well as a larger more spacious cabin and more off-road capability, Kia is poised to once again light up driveways across the country.
But adding to the design news is the announcement that the Telluride will feature two new engines: a new more efficient 4-cylinder and a hybrid that will deliver about 35 MPG.
Test Out Hyundai’s Need for Speed
Hyundai has been on a roll of late, adding not just trail-ready SUVs and efficiency-focused EVs, but expanding its track-worthy lineup of N series models.
The newest is the Hyundai Ioniq 6N, the slightly more demure sibling to the Hyundai Ioniq 5N, a performance focused sedan that although it’s electric, delivers the sound and fury of a true track car with paddle shifters, red line limitations and crack-and-gurgle downshift rev matching. It’s all a delight, and you can sample it on one of Hyundai’s drive simulators. Just get there early and be prepared to wait in line. This is pure fun.
It’s LA. A Joy Ride Is In Order
If the squealing wheels coming from the Jeep corner of the auto show, or the Ford exhibit in the West Hall, are tugging at your attention, head over and get a fun ride in a Christmas sweater-themed Wrangler or a bold Ford Bronco. Both have set up off-road tracks that let you feel just what it’s like to truly cross the Rubicon or climb a steep slope in these 4WD SUVs.
There are also EV tracks that allow you to tool around with only the whir of EV motors and the squeak of wheels on the concrete floors to serenade you, and it’s a delight, as is the instant torque that’ll toss you back in the seat through short bursts of power on the track.
If you’d like to be the one behind the wheel, head outside to the test drive area and just try to decide which of the 50 test drive models you should drive first.
A Delightful Day of Car Culture
When your feet are as tired as mine from looking at all the concepts, new cars and thrilling rides, head back into Subaru territory and take a load off while relaxing among the pines and shrubs of the National Park themed exhibit (and check out the all new Subaru Outback). Or wander over to Toyota and take a seat while your kids indulge in a game and maybe win a prize.
Or check out the Nismo merch stand at Nissan, Ford’s merchandise offerings and the Chevrolet Corvette. Because all of this is the core of car culture: the good times, fun trips and amazing experiences that our cars make possible.
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