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There are a number of prestigious auto shows taking place in the U.S. each year. The New York Auto Show and the Detroit Auto Show are some of them, even if the latter has declined in importance along with its host city's financial crisis striking hard during the last years. The two aforementioned auto shows are some of the most popular auto events in North American, and not only; of course, car enthusiasts from all around the world are also following the events. The Los Angeles Auto Show might be relevantly less historical as an event, but it has steadily gained ground in popularity and significance in the last years.

This year, the LA Auto Show was held between the 22nd of November and the 1st of December. More than 50 world and North American vehicle debuts stole the attention of the visitors eager to explore the latest developments in technology and design of their most favorite car brands. Let’s take a look now at some of this year’s highlights, as they were presented in the international press.

Starting with concept cars, one thing is for sure: we have a winner! Designed for PlayStation’s hit Gran Turismo (a video game that has been discussed probably more than any other in the recent years), the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo looks like coming from our wildest futuristic dreams. Especially its wheels are designed exactly the way most of us would have imagine the wheels of the car of the future. Unfortunately we won’t be seeing, or admiring to put it better, this car out in the streets except if we’re talking about Gran Turismo’s virtual streets…
Another vehicle that didn’t pass unnoticed is the Ford Edge Concept. This concept car represents the future of driving, with cars taking more driving responsibilities, while the drivers will be sitting for a coffee in the driver's seat and relaxing. I know that some of you can’t wait for the time when driving will be a much less worriless and tireless experience; however, we’re still not there yet. The Ford Edge Concept, though, is equipped with an obstacle-avoidance system. Furthermore, it is able to send warnings to the driver and, generally speaking, it enjoys semi-autonomy from the driver. Well, it’s surely a start!
Moving to all-electric hybrid cars, the BMW i8 poses as the uncontested winner among its competitors. The German brand has been experimenting with all-electric cars for quite some time now, but with the introduction of the BMW i8 it now seems that it has moved to the next level. Its price surely indicates that this supercar from the future cannot be available to everyone, as $135,000 sound quite a lot for us, commoners. Nonetheless, the day that plug-in hybrid cars will be widely available must not be so far. In case you run a business and this supercar has just opened your appetite, then you can always search for your ideal company car by BMW and earn in prestige!
The 2014 MINI was also presented at the show. This is the third generation of MINI cars since 2000, when the legendary icons entered a new era in their long and successful history. BMW was the company that led MINI into the future and the trip doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. The new MINI is larger in size, but its design stays the same; always cool, always elegant!
Many more cars impressed the experts and the visitors alike, including the Porsche Macan, the 2014 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, the Jaguar F-Type Coupe or the 2014 Lexus IS350 AWD among others. This year's car 'harvest' has been quite generous, however my gut feeling says that next year will have in store many more debuts and surprises! Let's wait and see! Till then, drive safely!



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