The glamour and glitz at the La-La Land auto extravaganza

by Keith Morgan on Thursday, December 1st, 2016

Los Angeles, CA – The upmarket Infiniti brand has just the car for an over-sized Christmas stocking on display at this city’s international auto show.

Neiman Marcus announced the inclusion of the Infiniti Q60 Neiman Marcus Limited Edition in the luxury retailer’s annual Christmas Book. Named this year’s Fantasy Gift, only 50 of this exclusive Q60 model will be offered at $63,000 (US).

Based on the Red Sport 400 version of the all-new Q60, this 400-horsepower coupe is equipped with a 3.0 litre-twin-turbocharged V6 engine and is painted in Solar Mica hue. The special Q60 includes an exclusive ivory leather weekender bag, a plaque with the car’s VIN number, Neiman Marcus-branded indoor car cover and letter of authenticity.

 

 

Only in L.A., you say. The west coast auto extravaganza never disappoints when it comes to highlighting the most exotic cars and futuristic concepts.

The Acura Precision Concept was developed the Acura Design Studio in California to express the brand’s commitment to “Precision Crafted Performance.”      

“The Acura Precision Concept is more than simply a concept vehicle, it is a design study model that literally will shape the direction of all future Acura products around our Precision Crafted Performance DNA,” said Dave Marek, Acura global creative director.

Get this. The ultra-wide and curved centre screen is operated by a floating touch pad, suspended on the cantilevered center stack. Upon entry, the system scans each occupant and selects personalized features and functions, including maps, audio and customized vehicle performance settings.

Not to be outdone by these young whipper-snappers from overseas, a classic North American marque offers an eye-catcher. The Cadillac Escala — Spanish for “scale”— is a concept for a larger, more “elite and expressive companion” to the recently launched 2016 Cadillac CT6. So there, take that.

There are some off coloured cars on the show floor but nothing beats the weird green 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT-R. Merc describes it thusly: “the AMG green hell magno” special paintwork leaves no doubt as to the sports car’s origin, having spent most of its development time in the “Green Hell” of the Nurburgring racetrack.” We’ll take your word for it.

Back, down to earth.

The designers behind the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, say they spent two years developing the new seven-passenger sport utility vehicle for North America.

Explains Klaus Bischoff, Head of Volkswagen Design. “We looked deep into how Americans are living with their midsize SUVs, and we wanted to get the Atlas right. Size does matter, especially for families. The roads are wider, the cities are bigger, and we grew into that.”

keith [dot] morgan [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca