Driveline Fleet - car leasing. All you've gotta do is drive!

  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • About Car Leasing
    • About Car Financing
    • About Ex-Lease Cars
    • About Novated Lease
    • About Electric Car Finance
    • Why use a car lease company?
  • Lease New
    • Utes
    • SUVs
    • Small Cars
    • Medium Cars
    • Large Cars
    • EVs & Hybrids
    • Prestige European Cars
    • Vans
    • People Movers
    • Trucks
    • Plant & Equipment
  • Ex-Lease & Used
  • Services
    • Fleet Management
    • Car Accident Management
    • Fuel Card
  • Resources
    • Customer Reviews
    • Downloads
    • Blog
  • Contact
    • Find a Consultant
    • Auckland
    • Christchurch
    • Dunedin
    • Hamilton
    • Napier
    • Tauranga
    • Wellington
    • Whangarei
  • 0800 275-374
Menu
Home » Blog » DRIVE THRU | Los Angeles Auto Show hits… and misses.

DRIVE THRU | Los Angeles Auto Show hits… and misses.

By Lianca van Oudtshoorn | 5 December 2019 | Posted in Uncategorized

A bevy of new SUVs, some interesting high-performance cars and a few heart-stopping prototypes.

That pretty much sums up the next generation of vehicles unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Here are our picks for hits and misses of the last big show of the year.

THE HITS

Porsche Taycan 4S

For those who dream of owning this electrically powered Porsche sedan comes a cheaper version than the Turbo model already launched – and one that is just as desirable.

The 4S can deliver the electric equivalent of 389kW. As if that isn’t enough, there’s an optional battery system that delivers an extra jolt, boosting that horsepower to an immense 419 for sudden acceleration power. Thus, the 4S can rocket from 0-96kmh in 3.8 seconds.

What’s captivating about this car isn’t just raw power. It’s a sweet profile that makes it instantly recognisable as a Porsche design while still seeming entirely fresh.

Perhaps best of all, Taycan 4S should be a relative bargain compared with the Turbo models.

Kia Seltos

A new SUV model, the Kia Seltos, isn’t one of the great lookers, but we include it among our hits because it’s well done overall, nicely packaged and a bargain.

The Seltos shows how carmakers are so anxious to market new SUVs that they will risk cannibalising sales from their existing lineup. Seltos is a compact SUV that will compete directly against one of Kia’s best-known and most quirky models globally, the Soul.

The Soul is a bit of a combination of a car and a crossover, while Seltos is intended to be more of a pure SUV, explains Michael Cole, president of Kia Motors America.

Seltos has some features that few other compact crossovers can match, including the six-color mood lighting that has been a hit in the youth-oriented Soul. It also has more cargo room than a Toyota RAV4.

Hyundai Vision T

Every auto show needs a few new concept cars that offer a peek into the future, and Hyundai supplied one of the better ones.

It’s the Vision T, a carbon-black plug-in hybrid SUV. We expect its simple yet captivating style will show up for years in the next generation of Hyundai crossovers.

As opposed to the more wild concepts, this one is understated. Downright elegant, really. The Vision T’s lines are subtle and pure. It’s the kind of clean design at which German automakers seem to excel, especially Volkswagen. The front is a little crazy, though, with a geometric design for the grille and a stacked array of headlights.

But hey, it will turn heads – and that’s the point.

THE MISSES
Toyota Mirai

Toyota, along with Honda and Hyundai, continues to pursue the hydrogen fuel-cell dream that is yet to catch on.

Each generation of fuel-cell vehicles improves technologically. Now Toyota hopes its new Mirai sedan will have more appeal with startlingly better looks. Want a stealth Lexus? This may be it.

There’s no getting over the polarising looks of the outgoing Mirai. The new one goes to the opposite end of the design spectrum with modern looks that some compare to the Toyota Avalon and that seems to fall too far on the bland side.

Now it doesn’t stand out enough. If hydrogen-powered cars are going to catch on, they need to be distinctive on the highway so that motorists can start to say “There goes one! And there goes another!”

California has 38 hydrogen stations that can fuel a Mirai. Toyota has only sold 6000 Mirais since 2015 which, executives point out, is about equal to the number of RAV4s that fly off dealership lots in a single week.

Hyundai Ioniq Electric

Given the other innovative things that Hyundai has done lately, we expected more from the next generation of the Ioniq Electric.

Yes, its battery range was boosted, besting the Nissan Leaf. But that’s still short of Tesla models, which are quickly becoming the defacto benchmark for EVs. (We are impressed, though, that Ioniq’s battery can be recharged to the 80 per cent level in less than an hour from a fast charger, according to Hyundai).

And yes, there’s nothing ugly about it its design. But there’s nothing especially interesting about it either. It’s not memorable.

Plus, we think the plastic panel where the grille would normally be looks cheap and cheesy.

Content credit: stuff.co.nz

Search our vehicles

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related articles

Case study|Umbrellar

A few years back Umbrellar recognised that they needed additional business vehicles, Candice was assigned the task to … More »

View our top Leasing and Finance vehicles for 2019.

Welcome to Driveline’s top Leasing and Finance vehicles for 2019. We take pride in giving our clients the best deals, … More »

Meet our Team: David Yardley

In our latest meet the team interview, we talk with David Yarley, one of Driveline’s vehicle finance specialists based … More »

Latest posts

Case Study with Lee Smith

Happy Holidays from everyone at Driveline.

Case study|Umbrellar

Categories

  • Case Studies
  • News
  • Smart Deals
    • Dodge
  • Uncategorized

Our Blog

  • Case Study with Lee Smith

    Managing Director Lee Smith realised there was a gap in the market for a rental property manager who focused on... Read more »

  • Happy Holidays from everyone at Driveline.

    We hope your holidays will be filled with joy and laughter through the New Year. Thank you for your continued... Read more »

  • Case study|Umbrellar

    A few years back Umbrellar recognised that they needed additional business vehicles, Candice was assigned the task to find the... Read more »

  • DRIVE THRU | Los Angeles Auto Show hits… and misses.

    A bevy of new SUVs, some interesting high-performance cars and a few heart-stopping prototypes. That pretty much sums up the... Read more »

  • View our top Leasing and Finance vehicles for 2019.

    Welcome to Driveline’s top Leasing and Finance vehicles for 2019. We take pride in giving our clients the best deals,... Read more »

  • Meet David Morrissey, a man with many secret skills.

    Many moons ago in 2009 Laurie, one of our Business Consultants drove passed David’s office one day, knocked on the... Read more »

Quick Info

  • Home
  • About Us
  • About Car Leasing
  • About Car Financing
  • About Ex-Lease Cars
  • About Novated Lease
  • Fleet Management
  • Fuel Card
  • Blog
  • Why use a car lease company?

Quick Search

  • SUVs
  • Utes
  • Small Cars
  • Medium Cars
  • Large Cars
  • EVs & Hybrids
  • Prestige European
  • Vans
  • People Movers
  • Short Term Lease
  • Trucks
  • Plant & Equipment
  • Ex-Lease & Used
0800 275-374
  • Click Get a quote
  • Find Find a consultant near you
  • Email info@driveline.co.nz
  • Facebook
  • Rss

Copyright © 2011-2019 Driveline Fleet Ltd. All Rights Reserved | admin | EVOLVE® marketing agency