[Auto] Automakers are going electric-vehicle and crossover crazy at the 2020 Los Angeles Auto Show

[Love Pulse]

 

Automakers are going electric-vehicle and crossover crazy at the 2020 Los Angeles Auto Show that starts Wednesday.

 

In advance of the show, Ford will debut the Mustang-inspired Mach-E electric crossover at a small airport in the Los Angeles basin. Ford designed the performance crossover as a Tesla fighter. It will serve as the automaker's flagship as Ford pushes into the electric vehicle era. Like Tesla, it will even begin to take $ 500 refundable reservation deposits for the Mach-E.

 

Toyota will introduce a plug-in version of the RAV4 crossover, the nation's best-selling vehicle that isn’t a pickup truck. Not to be outdone, Honda will show a hybrid CR-V crossover. The CR-V is also one of the auto market's biggest sellers. Hyundai will show a crossover concept. Kia is expected to show a new crossover. BMW will make the U.S. debut of a plug-in hybrid X-3 crossover.

 

Audi will showcase the SportBack version of its new e-tron electric crossover. Bollinger, a startup, will display versions of its electric pickup truck and SUV that are closer to the production models. Volkswagen will show its ID. Space Vizzion, which it describes as "a crossover of tomorrow that combines the aerodynamic characteristics of a Gran Turismo with the spaciousness of an SUV."

 

TESLA PICKUP TRUCK

And finally, Tesla is using L.A.'s auto week to reveal the prototype of its long-awaited pickup truck at a separate event in nearby Hawthorne, Calif. The Tesla reveal takes place just a block from where Ford will debut the Mach-E.

 

Although no one’s predicting the quick demise of internal combustion vehicles, automakers are pushing into fully-electric and electrified vehicles such as hybrids, to meet increasingly stringent global environmental regulations. They also are watching the success of Tesla in California and Norway and other regions with green-conscious consumers. The companies want to have products that can compete.

 

“EVs are coming whether people want them or not,” said Michael Ramsey, senior automotive research director at Gartner Inc.

 

Automakers are spending billions of dollars on the technology, pressed into action by global C02 regulations and encouraged by the success of Tesla, especially in the luxury segment, Ramsey said.

 

However, the industry should see a caution flag in the declining sales in China after a reduction in incentives, he said.

 

“EVs still struggle to compete with internal combustion engine vehicles. Ultimately, these companies have to design vehicles that are better than ICE vehicles. They have to be faster, more powerful, quieter, loaded with tech and easy to own. And they need to signal to friends and neighbors that the owner is cool, and not just green, ”Ramsey said.

 

FORD MUSTANG MACH-E

That’s what Ford is attempting with the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. It plans to leverage Mustang's long history as a sporty and stylish model by using its design elements for the EV.

 

The company hasn’t released any information about the Mach-E in advance of its reveal. But its executives have consistently pitched the theme that electric vehicles needn’t be boring