L.A. Auto Show 2015: The ‘Fiata’ Jaguar XE and other highlights

If you're heading to the L.A. Auto Show on Friday, take a look at our blog below for some of the highlights on display.

As automakers display new plug-in hybrids and electric cars at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, they are also drawing battle lines in a regulatory fight over California's ambitious zero-emissions vehicle targets.

— Jerry Hirsch

From the world's smallest car to Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine, the Galpin Hall of Customs has a wide variety on display.

Check out some of the cars on display at the L.A. Auto Show in this Snapchat video recap from Wednesday.

Among the automotive dignitaries roaming the halls of the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday was veteran designer Tom Matano, the man known as “Mr. Miata� and credited with the design vision behind the original 1989 two-door convertible.

What does he think of the new, fourth-generation Miata, unveiled by Mazda earlier this year?

“Not bad."

— Charles Fleming

Maybe the Galpin Hall of Custom's Mach IV Mustang -- a dragster powered by four Ford V-8 motors.

— Charles Fleming

That was the message at the L.A. Auto Show as Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen talked about the company's just-presented XT5.

The luxury SUV, the successor to Cadillac’s successful SRX, is positioned to take on the Lexus RX -- the only vehicle that it trailed in sales.

— Charles Fleming

What separates a good car from a great one?

Almost all cars are decent these days. So in judging the new models on offer at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, we look for the potential to lift the automaker’s fortunes, push the industry forward — and, of course, for the ultimate value to the consumer.

Here are the four cars from this year’s show that we think best meet that criteria.

— Brian Thevenot

The Airstream trailer company, from a corner of the massive Ford footprint at the L.A. Auto Show, reports a booming year.

“We’re crushing it,� CEO Bob Wheeler said from inside one of the company’s signature polished-aluminum capsules. “We’re up 18% year to date over last year.�

— Charles Fleming

ALSO

Read our review of the Mazda X-9, a newly styled crossover with plenty of tech.

Honda is refreshing its bestselling sedan by bringing new powertrains and new styling to the 10th generation of this 44-year-old nameplate. This coupe follows the recent unveiling of the sedan, and will be followed by a hatchback and two sportier versions.

— Charles Fleming

Honda is officially entering the hydrogen fuel-cell segment with the Clarity. Long in the planning and testing, the Clarity will use hydrogen gas to power an electric motor, on a car that has the range and quick-fueling capacity of a gas-powered vehicle combined with the zero emissions of an electric-battery car. Like the Hyundai Tucson, it's a five-seater -- one more than Toyota's four-seat Mirai.

— Charles Fleming

Take a look through our photo gallery to see some of the highlights from the first day of the L.A. Auto Show.

But is it too weird?

Quite the oddity: A two-door, four-seat, ragtop sport utility vehicle starting at $50,475.

— Brian Thevenot

In debuting two ambitious new automobiles at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Fiat Chrysler is trying to capitalize on a decades-long American love affair with Italian design.

The carmaker faces an uphill battle — the result of an equally long American distrust of Italian engineering.

— Charles Fleming

A full-size, full-luxury, seven-seat people hauler. Mercedes calls it the “S-Class among SUVs.� The automaker hasn’t released pricing, the S-Class reference – the same one applied to its flagship sedan – likely signals the starting price will rise over the GL model it will replace, which starts in the mid-$60,000 range. With options, figure easily six figures. An ultra-luxury Maybach model is also planned.

— Brian Thevenot

The model debuts on Wednesday at the Los Angeles Auto Show included tiny convertibles (Fiat), big sedans (Buick, Lincoln) and crossovers of all sizes (Mazda, Ford, Kia).

Check back tomorrow morning for more coverage of the L.A. Auto Show.

Check out the Indian Scout Sixty – Indian Motorcycle’s new entry level offer that is designed to attract first-time riders.

Silver Lake artist Baron Margo started off by building tiny cars. Then he decided to move on to the real thing.

The new Fiat 124 Spider has a powertrain made by Mazda.

It’s not only cars on display at the L.A. Auto Show. Automakers are also showing off their more fashionable side with branded clothing and accessories.

Jana Hartline from Toyota explains the "Back to the Future"-inspired Toyota Mirai.

General Motors could be an owner or investor in the future robotaxi system, said Mark Reuss, the automaker's executive vice president.

And L.A. could be one of the first cities to have robotic cars and self-driving cars since they'll solve a problem and people need them, he said.

— Jerry Hirsch

Despite parent company VW's diesel difficulties, which have taken some Porsches off the road, the company also remains committed to that technology.

"It has torque and it has range, which are important to American drivers," said Porsche global head Detlev Von Platen.

— Charles Fleming

Audi is jumping deeper into the hybrid segment. Seen as a precursor to a 2018 all-electric plug in, this vehicle is part of the German car company’s 10-year commitment to alternative-fuel technology.

— Charles Fleming

Silver Lake-based artist Baron Margo brought his aluminum, copper and brass contraptions to the L.A. Auto Show. Powered by Mazda or VW engines, they're street-legal and ready to roll.

— Charles Fleming

Promoted as the “fastest and most luxurious SUV� ever, this crossover attempts to marry off-road ruggedness with traditional Bentley performance and plush. And that name? It’s a reference to a rugged peak in the Canary Islands.

— Charles Fleming

In the not-so-far-off future, teens won't bother getting driver's licenses, consumers will shun owning their own cars, and taxis will be replaced by "taxibots."

That's the world described by speakers on the first day of the Los Angeles Auto Show, which was devoted to the connected car. The two-week convention in recent years has shifted its focus away from the latest car models to the newest tech innovations transforming vehicles from the inside.

— Andrea Chang

Every automotive journalist has a personal favorite car — and for about half of them it’s the Porsche 911.

That may overstate the matter, but not by much. It’s certainly true for me, and to my eye there’s no better era for the 911 than the late 1980s.

Porsche’s signature car has become more of a grand touring machine since those days — bigger, faster, more luxurious and more geared toward road trips than tight mountain switchbacks. Today, the smaller and cheaper Boxster/Cayman may be closer in spirit to the 1980s 911.

To my delight, Porsche seems to always bring one or two of its classics to the L.A. Auto Show. One recent year, it was a white 930 (a pointy-nosed, even faster 911) with the famous whale tail. This year, the storied German automaker brought a far more modest, medium gray 1988 Targa top 911.

And just look at it: the bug-eye headlights, the clean sloping profile, the flat-topped roof. It looks better today than it did when I was in high school.

— Brian Thevenot

Bringing back a beloved if eccentric crowd-pleaser from the '60s and '70s, Fiat is reintroducing this classic, stripped-down, two-door, convertible roadster. Luckily, for those concerned about Fiat reliability, the engine and power train are mostly made by Mazda: This is a Miata, in other words, in Italian clothes.

— Charles Fleming

Mercedes is refreshing the vaunted SL line, adding a 450 version to the 550 and two AMG models, bringing a slightly more affordable entry-level car to this high-end division.

— Charles Fleming

Meanwhile, sitting nearby:

With its hydrogen-powered electric motor, the Honda Clarity is designed to have a 300-mile range and a fueling time of less than three minutes.

— --Charles Fleming

Keep your eyes open while driving — don't rely on the Force.

As California looks to ramp up its requirements for zero-emission and low-polluting vehicles, what are Mazda's plans? Masamichi Kogai, the Japanese car company's chief executive, talked to The Times about that.

Mazda has an electric vehicle for the Japanese market and is researching hybrid systems, and "we also are looking at our rotary-engine technology," he said through an interpreter.

That technology "can combust hydrogen and use it as a fuel," Kogai said. "The engine can run as a dual-fuel system, switching between hydrogen and gasoline. We can also use rotary engines to charge the battery as a range extender in an electric vehicle."

— Jerry Hirsch

Built by General Motors, the Buick LaCrosse is an elegant, full-size sedan designed to compete at the lower end of the luxury automobile segment. Buick hasn’t released pricing, but the car it replaces starts at $31,990. It goes on sale next summer.

— Jerry Hirsch

This will be the fourth-generation Sportage, a compact crossover that is Kia’s longest-running U.S. nameplate.

— Jerry Hirsch

The new Honda Civic sedan looks terrific in black -- and is mobbed with people trying to get into it.

[ For the record, 11:43 a.m.: An earlier version of this post called the sedan a five-door. Turns out it's a four-four sedan with an extremely raked bank end -- but not a hatchback.]

— Brian Thevenot

It's a Kia Optima A1A -- a concept car with suicide doors and a convertible top.

The baby-blue custom car, named after the famous coastal highway in Florida, won't be for sale. It's just an auto show attention grabber, and it's working. Curious fans gathered around the soft-top, which has a butter-cream leather interior and, under the hood, a 245-horsepower, four-cylinder engine.

— Charles Fleming

A relatively affordable sport sedan – starting around $35,000 – that could help a historic and recently reinvigorated Jaguar brand break out of its niche.

— Brian Thevenot

Challenge accepted:

This will be Mazda’s second iteration of the CX-9, a large 7-seat crossover. Mazda has not yet announcing pricing for the new model, which goes on sale in the spring. The starting price of the current model is $30,875 including delivery fee.

— Jerry Hirsch

This is a midsize luxury sedan offering three drivetrains, including a new twin-turbocharged 400 horsepower engine that Ford plans to keep exclusive to its Lincoln brand. Pricing won’t be out until early next year, but the current version starts at $35,190.

— Jerry Hirsch

A very fast Italian sport sedan with questionable styling and a sticker starting at about $70,000.

— Brian Thevenot

Ford is refreshing its sturdy, best-selling SUV with a fourth-generation makeover that includes two new engine choices.

— Charles Fleming

This is a subcompact luxury crossover that Infiniti is aiming at new, younger customers.

It goes on sale in mid-2016 as a 2017 model and is new to Infiniti’s lineup. The automaker has not discussed pricing, but based on similar vehicles it is expected to start in the mid-$30,000 range.

— Jerry Hirsch

Within walking distance of Tesla Motors' Palo Alto headquarters and across the street from Hewlett-Packard, Ford Motor Co. has set up a new Silicon Valley outpost.

With a team of 100 reporting to a former Apple engineer, the Detroit giant is researching how humans experience machines, running autonomous-vehicle driving simulations and testing software that examines how bicycles and cars interact.

— Jerry Hirsch