Review: LA Auto Show 2025

The highlights were there, but rare

Although I was quite critical about the LA Auto Show last year, I was curious to see if they were able to take a step forward. But unfortunately, I found it to be a disappointment once again. 

Last year, Lucid saved the show with the Gravity. This year, it was Hyundai with the Crater Concept that showed that there was still something left in the tank. GM brought the Corvette CX Concept, but that has already been shown at Pebble Beach this year. And KIA launched their new Telluride. Scout showed how a stand can excite visitors about the brand and make it really enjoyable and interactive to be around – outside the convention centre rather than inside, by the way, like we've seen for example at the IAA MOBILITY in Munich earlier this year.

That was pretty much it.

And while the Big 3 are of course in a challenging situation, we can only hope they are looking at the Japanese OEMs – having seen how incredibly Toyota, Honda, or Mazda handled their home turf at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo a few weeks ago – and get inspired by their courage.

California fails to explore its full potential

In its current state, the US shows in LA and Detroit are completely forgettable.

They have become dealer shows with little to no influence on the design community at all. The only place to consider having an impact is, of course, Pebble Beach, but that's becoming more and more exclusive and busy.

The opportunity in Southern California is still massive, but keeping up old school shows won't help it survive. The LA Auto Show needs to reinvent itself – and taking notes from shows like Munich or Tokyo, which demonstrated how it can be done differently, would be an important first step.